The police liquidated a criminal group that helped to pass driver’s license exams for money

The police liquidated the criminal organization. Using technological tricks and “their own people” at the ministry, for a sum of 2,000 euros, she made it possible for foreigners to obtain driver’s licenses even if clients did not know how to drive a car.

On November 24, 2022, 13 people were arrested in Attica, including 8 owners of driving schools and 4 employees of the regional department of the Athens Transport and Communications Authority. A criminal case has been initiated against them, as well as against their 58 clients, on charges of organizing a criminal community, leading a criminal community, misappropriation of a fake ID, bribery and bribery of an official for inaction contrary to their duties, falsification of fake IDs, violation of official duties, money laundering, possession of genuine and counterfeit travel documents of third parties, violation of weapons laws.

In total, according to investigators, since March 2022, members of the organization have managed to illegally issue 340 driver’s licenses and certificates of professional competence, making a profit of 680,000 euros.

The criminal group, for a monetary reward, prepared test subjects for passing driver’s license exams. Craftsmen creatively approached the task. Sometimes they gave the test subjects special clothes with a built-in camera. In other cases, the transmission of the image was carried out using a “smart watch” that had a built-in camera, and the camera could also be placed inside a protective mask against coronavirus. An inconspicuous buetooth microearphone was inserted into the ear of the subjects, with the help of which the subject received instructions from the “curator”.

During the exam, the criminals used this equipment to guide the test subjects and point them to the correct answers. One of the characteristic features of their actions was that if the examinee was a foreigner and did not know the Greek language, they used an interpreter, and when there were more candidates, the employee of the organization, dictating the answers, turned on the “call waiting” function in turn. However, an important role in the success of the whole process was played by the staff of the examination committee, who acted as controllers, who “turned a blind eye” to the mistakes of the subjects.

It turned out that before the exam, each candidate paid an average of 2000 euros, knowing that part of this amount, namely 500 euros, was intended for an official of the relevant Department of Transport and Communications. The remainder was divided according to the role of the person concerned (school owner, facilitator, interpreter).

As a result of searches conducted in houses, vehicles, driving schools and offices of officials, the following were found and seized:

• 86 370 euros,
• 2 pistols and a revolver
• 117 pieces of audiovisual equipment (microcameras, microheadphones, T-shirts with equipment attached to them, etc.)
• 50 mobile phones,
• several computers and tablets.

Those arrested have been taken before the Prosecutor of the Athens Plenary Court, while an investigation to identify other members of the organization and candidates who illegally obtained a driver’s license or certificate of professional competence continues.

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