50 employees of the Ministry of Transport are under investigation for bribes when issuing driver’s licenses

Behind the recent decision to suspend the directors and all managers of the General Directorate of Transport for the Attica region is the discovery of new cases of issuing driver's licenses for bribes. By order of the Governor of Attica, Nikos Hardalias, it was decided to dismiss 50 employees.

Of these, 39 are already under investigation for creating and participating in a criminal organization for the purpose of receiving bribes. By illegally receiving money, employees ensured the receipt of diplomas, and also issued licenses (including professional ones) and provided other services.

The investigation into the matter began after the National Transparency Office received an anonymous complaint several months ago alleging wrongdoing and illegal actions by some employees. As the investigation showed, in the sphere of public services there were specific people who performed the functions of “processors” of citizens’ requests. It was established that they were on friendly terms with high-ranking and experienced officials of the Attica region and accepted various amounts of money in cash from citizens in order to speed up the response to their requests.

The information states that of the 39 allegedly involved in the criminal organization in one way or another, seven are directors of the General Directorate of Transport, 20 are heads of departments, and the remaining 12 are ordinary employees. The investigation is still ongoing, and to date, 26 of the 39 verified employees have already been brought to court for creating a criminal organization.

However, in the ongoing changes an attempt is made to minimize or even completely eliminate the need for personal contact between employees and citizens. This will be achieved through the use of new technologies. The goal is to create smart rooms using artificial intelligence that will monitor the progress of citizens’ requests in real time.

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