Position: Rector of the Classical Private University.
Sphere of corruption: education.
Region of corruption activity: Zaporizhzhia.
Qualification: Part 1, Part 2 of Article 255 (creation of a criminal organization, leadership of such an organization and participation in a criminal organization);
Part 4 of Article 368-3 (bribery of an official of a legal entity under private law, regardless of its organizational and legal form);
Part 3 of Article 362 (unauthorized actions with information processed in electronic computers, automated systems, computer networks or stored on media of such information, committed by a person who has the right to access it);
Article 336 (evasion of military service during mobilization, for a special period, for military service upon conscription of persons from among reservists during a special period).
Status: detained.
Case story: The SSU and the National Police have exposed the rectorate of one of the universities in Zaporizhzhia, which sold almost three thousand fake certificates to postgraduate students. From the court register it is known that this is the Classical Private University, which was previously paid attention to by investigative journalists. It is headed by the rector Viktor Ogarenko.
As indicated in the SSU report of June 17, the rector of a private university was exposed for accepting bribes from evading students for postgraduate studies. He recruited eight more of his subordinates into the criminal group, including his deputies and the leadership of the educational institution's institutes.
The rectorate enrolled men of draft age in full-time education without any entrance exams or attendance at classes. This scheme was used by 2,966 conscripts who used fake training to get a deferment from the draft.
The cost of such registration was up to 5 thousand US dollars in cash per person. After providing the documents, the “graduate students” additionally paid the higher established amount for two semesters, in the amount of almost 20 thousand hryvnias, to the details. Then, according to the case materials, the organizers of the transaction withdrew the funds from the university’s account and distributed them among themselves.
The SSU does not disclose the name of the educational institution whose management sold postgraduate certificates. However, the court registry contains a number of decisions regarding officials of the Classical Private University in Zaporizhia - NGL.media wrote that this university is the record holder in the number of postgraduate students registered in the Unified State Register of Educational and Scientific Research (UESE) and, according to the Ministry of Education, exceeded the licensed volume by almost 3.5 thousand people.
The rector of the Classical Private University, Viktor Ogarenko, in a conversation with NGL.media, assured that they were forced to recruit postgraduate students beyond the limits due to lack of funds. “We were on the verge of dismissing those who worked here. That is why such a collective decision was made by the academic council,” he said.
It is known that in 2024, the Ministry of Education revoked the Classical Private University's license for postgraduate studies, but the university filed a lawsuit and suspended the MES order.
Officials of the Classical Private University, namely the rector, first vice-rectors, vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work, head of postgraduate and doctoral studies, director of the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, director of the Institute of Economics, director of the Institute of Management, involving employees under their control, namely: deputy director for educational and methodological work of the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, head of the Department of Criminal Law, Process and Forensics of the Institute of Law, head of the Department of Education Quality, Licensing and Accreditation of the Classical Private University, established a mechanism for extorting undue benefit from applicants for the opportunity to enter the university for postgraduate study by entering knowingly false information into official documents.
Currently, law enforcement officers have notified the rector and eight of his subordinates of suspicion under four articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
Part 1, Part 2 of Article 255 (creation of a criminal organization, leadership of such an organization and participation in a criminal organization);
Part 4 of Article 368-3 (bribery of an official of a legal entity under private law, regardless of its organizational and legal form);
Part 3 of Article 362 (unauthorized actions with information processed in electronic computers, automated systems, computer networks or stored on media of such information, committed by a person who has the right to access it);
Article 336 (evasion of military service during mobilization, for a special period, for military service upon conscription of persons from among reservists during a special period).
The issue of choosing preventive measures is currently being decided. The perpetrators face up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: currently, law enforcement officers have reported the suspicion to the rector and eight of his subordinates: the first vice-rectors, the vice-rector for scientific and pedagogical work, the head of postgraduate and doctoral studies, the directors of the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Institute of Economics, and the Institute of Management. Employees under their control were also involved in the offenses, namely: the deputy director for educational and educational-methodical work of the Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, the head of the Department of Criminal Law, Process and Forensics of the Institute of Law, as well as the head of the Department of Education Quality, Licensing and Accreditation of the Classical Private University.
Assets: there is no information about Ogarenko's declaration in the NACP register.
Persons who should have reacted: in the case of Ogarenko, law enforcement officers reacted in a timely manner.
Scandals: There is no information in open sources about other scandals involving Ogarenko. At the same time, the university he heads, the Classical Private University in Zaporizhia, regularly finds itself at the epicenter of high-profile violations.
In particular, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine announced the cancellation of licenses for educational activities at the third (educational and scientific) level of higher education due to systematic and radical excess of the licensed volume.
Among the violations identified are the following facts:
• MES licenses for the third level of higher education (unregulated specialties): over the last two academic years, the university admitted 3,401 people instead of the permitted 165 people per year.
• Educational and scientific program "Law": with a licensed volume of 25 people per year, the institution enrolled an additional 42 people in two years.
• Educational and scientific program "Law Enforcement Activities": in 2022, the licensed volume (20 people) was exceeded by 6 students.
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