People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh was driving under the influence of alcohol, for which he was left without a license. Despite this, the people's deputy continued to drive, for which he was detained by the police three times. Kuzminykh, as usual, did not appear at the court hearing regarding "drunk" driving. And later he was fined for drinking alcohol in public places. These cases are another proof of the people's deputy's disregard for the law, who is already known for the high-profile case of bribery. UNN has collected the history of the people's deputy's violations for you.
Scandalous People's Deputy Serhiy Kuzminykh had his license revoked for "drunk" driving, and was later fined 10,200 hryvnias.
The court ruling states that the patrolmen saw typical signs of alcohol intoxication in the driver: the smell of alcohol from the oral cavity, a sharp change in skin color on the face, and pronounced trembling of the fingers. In the presence of witnesses, Kuzminykh refused to undergo an examination using a "Drager" or in a medical facility, which was recorded in the documents. Materials on the accusation of Kuzminykh in committing an administrative offense under Art. 130 of the Code of Administrative Offenses were transferred to the Bohunskyi District Court of Zhytomyr.
Serhiy Kuzminykh has already classically failed to appear at court hearings regarding drunk driving twice. In the end, the court found him guilty, imposed a fine, deprived him of the right to drive, and ordered him to pay a court fee.
But Kuzminykh did not agree with this court decision and filed an appeal. Among the grounds for the appeal, he indicated, among other things, that the court violated his right to participate during the consideration of the case. They say that he came to court once, but it turned out that the hearing was not scheduled for that day. And the second time he did not appear because he was ill. Kuzminykh also believed that the court of first instance did not take into account all the circumstances of the case. The Court of Appeal, having examined all the materials provided, decided that the appellant had not provided evidence of this, and also did not inform the court that he could not appear at the hearing. It is interesting that the appeal was also considered in the absence of Kuzminykh. However, this time he had already submitted a statement to the court requesting that the case be considered in his absence. In the end, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the court of first instance, thereby confirming Kuzminykh's guilt.
But even this did not stop Kuzminykh. Apparently, "the sea is knee-deep". The scandalous people's deputy continued to drive without a driver's license. For which he was detained by the patrol police 3 more times. The first two times Kuzminykh drove without documents, probably in the same car in which he was driving "under the influence", an Opel Vectra. However, he later switched to a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and continued to violate traffic rules in another car.
But Kuzminykh's administrative offenses did not end there. Later, the police detained the scandalous people's deputy for drinking alcohol in public places. According to our information, this happened in the center of the capital in a park on Shevchenko Boulevard. And the people's deputy paid a fine of 51 hryvnias for his actions.
Let's add
Driving under the influence of alcohol is one of the most dangerous violations of traffic rules. According to Opendatabot, in 2024, 1,000 accidents with deaths and injuries occurred due to drunk drivers. 110 people died in such accidents, and another 1,302 people were injured.
Serhiy Kuzminykh is not the only people's deputy who allows himself to drive under the influence of alcohol. Thus, People's Deputy Yevhen Brahar also "lit up" in a scandal regarding driving under the influence of alcohol. At that time, law enforcement officers suspected him of being under the influence of drugs. However, Brahar agreed to undergo an examination. And later he received a "negative" test for the presence of drugs in the body. Unlike People's Deputy Kuzminykh, who refused to undergo an examination.
Let's remind
People's Deputy, Head of the Subcommittee on Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Activities of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Health, Serhiy Kuzminykh, was caught red-handed while receiving an illegal benefit of 558 thousand hryvnias. According to the investigation, he received funds for assisting in the signing of contracts between private companies and one of the hospitals in the Zhytomyr region for the supply of medical equipment.
At the end of January 2022, NABU recorded the transfer of money and published a video about it. In it, a person with a voice similar to Kuzminykh promises his assistance and adds that he can resolve the issue with all medical institutions in the region.
On January 31, 2022, the then Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova signed a suspicion notice to him. Serhiy Kuzminykh was not detained due to "deputy immunity", but he ignored interrogations, which is why he was put on the wanted list. After several days of "hiding", the people's deputy was finally detained to choose a preventive measure.
In May 2022, Kuzminykh was chosen a preventive measure in the form of bail in the amount of 49 thousand 600 hryvnias. Of course, the bail was paid for the people's deputy.
In September 2022, the indictment in the case against Kuzminykh was sent to the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court for consideration on the merits. Currently, the stage of evidence examination is ongoing. However, the consideration of the case is delayed, in particular, due to Kuzminykh's frequent non-appearance. According to information provided by the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, the people's deputy missed 22 court hearings