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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
2 November 2026 of the year the High Anti-Corruption Court announced the verdict for former First Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine Dina Pimhova. She was found guilty of soliciting and receiving an unlawful benefit in a particularly large amount. The court sentenced her to nine years in prison with confiscation of all property she owns.
The decision was announced by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. The name of the convicted person is established based on materials of NABU and publications about the court proceedings.
According to SAP, the VAKS panel of judges found the former official guilty of criminal offenses provided for by part 4 of article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In addition to nine years of imprisonment, the court prohibited Pimhova from holding certain public positions for three years, with the exception of elected positions.
What the former DMS official was tried for
According to investigative materials, in June 2017 year Pimhova proposed organizing the processing of a temporary residence permit in Ukraine for a Vietnamese citizen. The document was to be valid for one year with the possibility of extension up to three years.
With her assistance in processing the permit, the official asked for 1800 dollars, which she subsequently received.
The second episode concerned an Iranian citizen. In August 2017 year Pimhova proposed organizing the acquisition of Ukrainian citizenship by territorial origin for him.
To this end, according to the investigation, the plan was to use forged documents that would confirm the foreigner’s kinship with Ukrainian citizens. In particular, it involved falsified DNA test results and court decisions.
Through this scheme, the foreigner could obtain both a Ukrainian passport and a foreign passport without legal grounds for citizenship.
For organizing this process, Pimhova requested 30 thousand dollars.
Detailed circumstances of both episodes are laid out in official NABU materials.
How Pimhova’s case caused a conflict between NABU, the SBU, and the General Prosecutor’s Office
Corruption episodes were uncovered during an NABU undercover operation in 2017 year. Detectives documented a possible scheme of illegal document processing for foreigners involving Migration Service officials.
However, 29 November 2017 year SBU detained an NABU agent during an attempt to hand Pimhova 15 thousand dollars.
At that time, the State Migration Service stated that the agent tried to provoke the official into taking a bribe. Pimhova herself also denied illegality and claimed she contacted law enforcement after the proposals to hand her money.
In turn, NABU said it conducted an operation to expose the corruption scheme, while interference by the SBU and the General Prosecutor’s Office disrupted investigative actions.
According to Ukraine’s Pravda, then-NABU Director Artem Sytniuk stated that it was Pimhova who first named the amount of 30 thousand dollars for processing citizenship for a foreigner.
NABU also claimed that the operation was meant to help identify other participants in the possible corruption scheme, but after interference by law enforcement authorities it could not be continued.
In March 2018 year Pimhova was dismissed from the post of First Deputy Head of the DMS at her own request.
What happened during the trial
In December 2019 year NABU and SAPU notified Pimhova of suspicion. At the end of 2020 year detectives completed the pre-trial investigation, and in June 2021 year the charging indictment was sent to VAKS.
During the trial, the former official did not plead guilty and insisted she became a victim of provocation.
According to the Transpare ncy International Ukraine project “VAKS decided,” 21 May 2026 year the court finished questioning Pimhova, which lasted over three weeks.
The accused stated that she had no authority to independently decide on foreigners’ citizenship acquisition. According to her, the relevant documents were processed by the territorial divisions of the DMS, while she was mainly responsible for technical and administrative areas.
Also Pimhova stated that NABU agent Serhiy Titinkov allegedly influenced her to receive an improper benefit.
28 October 2026 year VAKS heard the defendant’s final word. She again denied guilt and stated she acted within her official powers. After this the judges retired to deliberate on the verdict.
Transparency International Ukraine reported on the last court session.
The verdict of the High Anti-Corruption Court can be appealed in the appellate procedure within 30 days from the date of pronouncement.
If no appeal is filed, the decision will take effect after this period. If appealed, the final ruling will depend on the results of the appellate review.
As a reminder, SAPU filed a suit to the VAKS regarding property worth almost 4 million UAH, registered to the mother of the former head of the Kyiv narcotics unit.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Ексзаступницю голови ДМС Діну Пімахову засудили до 9 років ув’язнення за хабарі". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: NARDEP 24.
