A large network whose members systematically actively participated in illegal issuance of driver’s licenses and licenses of various typesV Western Attica And Corinthwas liquidated by the Internal Affairs Service of the security forces.

In accordance with Greek police11 people were detained, including the head and three employees of the directorate of transport and communications of the regional department, as well as 7 individuals, owners and employees of driving schools. It is noted that in the generated dossier there are 199 more people whose data has been established.

They are charged, as the case may be, with the offenses of forming and joining a criminal organization, false testimony and forgery of a serious crime, bribing an employee by occupation, bribing an employee by profession and occupation, breach of duty by complicity and serial , as well as for violence against officials and judges.

The investigation of the case began with a complaint according to which, in Corinth, employees of the local Department of Transport and Communications and the owners of driving schools with their partners provided future drivers with driver’s licenses of each category, as well as various types. certificates, for money, according to a non-standard procedure during a theoretical and practical exam.

This was followed by a months-long investigation within the framework of the corresponding preliminary check. As a result of the analysis of the collected data, it was found that operationally structured criminal organizationwith continuous action, whose members, since at least June 2022, have proceeded to illegally issue driver’s licenses, as well as certificates of fitness or professional competence or the transport of dangerous goods without following the procedure prescribed by law, in at least 194 candidate cases.

The defendants, according to EL.AS, in order to achieve their goal, followed, with rare exceptions, a certain pattern of actions, in theoretical training and depending on the driver’s license. In particular, they pointed out the correct answers to the examinees, directly selected the correct answers themselves, divided the correct answers into small pieces of paper, which they carefully hid in the candidates’ examination sheets, replaced the candidate’s examination sheet with another one containing the correct answer. answers, and also allows candidates not to appear on the written test and be considered successful.

As regards the proficiency and behavior (course) test, the typical presence of examinees in front of the commission for a few minutes was sufficient, although there were cases when candidates did not appear for this test and were considered successful.

As regards the cost of issuing a driver’s license, it varied depending on the category of license requested, as well as the procedure to be followed. It is clarified that the amount received by the school changed if a third person spoke between the driving school and the examinee.

However, the amounts they varied depending on the resolution, from 1200 to 2500 euros.

The payment of money for the issuance of a driver’s license was made by candidates for drivers by precinct. Initially prepaid, the remaining amount, which was agreed and intended for the employees involved, was paid on the day of the inspection. In other cases, when the candidate lived in another region, the prepayment and the necessary supporting documents were sent through courier companies, KTEL, a bank or express payment companies. It is noted that the further distribution of money exchanges to employees of the Directorate of Transport and Communications was carried out by the owners of driving schools.

With regard to the police operation to dismantle the circuit, it was carried out on the morning of Friday, March 3, 2023, while sheets of paper and A4 sheets with answers to examination questions were found and seized in a desk drawer, as well as two bags with similar contents . in the exam room.

During Operation EL.AS, the owner of a driving school, when approached by the police and claimed his status, got into a taxi as a driver and marched against them with the door open, endangering the life of at least one policeman. Thus, he managed to escape, but yesterday, on Saturday, March 4, he was detained when he voluntarily appeared at the prosecutor’s office, where his accomplice was taken.

As a result of searches carried out in homes and businesses, as well as from those arrested, the following were found and seized: 199,265 euros, 300 US dollars, several notebooks and handwritten notes about amounts of money and candidates. requisites, mobile phones and various digital evidence with electronically registered data of candidates and obviously fake confirmations of the submission of an application for a residence permit for third-country nationals.

According to EL.AS, as of June 2022, the profits obtained by members of the criminal organization illegally range from 292,800 to 610,000 euros.

As for the amount of confiscated money, it will be placed in the Deposit and Loan Fund, and confirmation of the application for a residence permit will be sent to the Criminal Investigation Department for laboratory examination.

The detainees were taken to the prosecutor’s office and handed over to the investigator.

Source: RES-IPE