The Supreme Court of Ukraine sentenced former deputy head of the State Migration Service Dina Pimakhova to 9 years in prison

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) found former First Deputy Head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine Dina Pimakhova guilty and sentenced her to nine years in prison with confiscation of property. The case concerns receiving illegal benefits for assisting foreigners in obtaining documents for residence and obtaining Ukrainian citizenship.

This was reported by the non-governmental organization Transparency International Ukraine on November 2, 2026, Ukrainska Pravda reports.

What was the former SMS official convicted of

According to the investigation, in June 2017, Dina Pimakhova, during a meeting with an acquaintance, asked for $1,800 for assistance in obtaining documents necessary for the legal stay of a Vietnamese citizen in Ukraine.

As the court established, the former official received the specified amount.

Subsequently, according to the case materials, she demanded another $30,000 for accelerating the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship by an Iranian citizen allegedly by territorial origin.

The case ended with a guilty verdict.

What punishment did the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court impose

By decision of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, Dina Pimakhova was sentenced to:

9 years in prison;
confiscation of all property belonging to her;
a ban on holding certain positions for two years.

The verdict was passed on November 2, 2026.

There is currently no information about the verdict coming into force. According to the legislation, the decision of the court of first instance can be appealed.

The Pimakhova case: what started the conflict between NABU, SBU and the prosecutor’s office

The criminal proceedings against Dina Pimakhova gained wide publicity back in 2017 due to the conflict between law enforcement agencies.

On November 29, 2017, the State Migration Service reported the detention of an agent of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine while attempting to transfer an illegal benefit to the first deputy head of the State Migration Service.

The next day, NABU stated that its employee did not try to give a bribe on his own initiative, but acted as part of a special operation to expose a corruption scheme.

The Bureau claimed that the operation was hindered by the intervention of the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to NABU, the investigation began in April 2017 and was aimed at exposing an alleged organized group with the participation of current and former officials of the State Migration Service.

Investigators checked information about receiving illegal benefits for issuing Ukrainian citizenship, temporary residence permits and expedited production of biometric passports to foreigners.

Why the case caused a public outcry

The Pimakhova case became one of the most resonant episodes of the confrontation between anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies in 2017.

At that time, NABU publicly accused representatives of other law enforcement agencies of disrupting the special operation and obstructing the investigation.

Nine years after the events began, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court passed a guilty verdict against the former high-ranking official of the State Migration Service.