Illegal Acquisition of Driver's Licenses: Charges Filed Against 14 Individuals, Including 3 Traffic Officers

The Armenian National Police's Traffic Police has filed charges against several individuals, including three inspectors, for illegally obtaining driver's licenses. According to the Anti-Corruption Committee's report, police inspectors J.V., E.S., and H.M., misusing their official powers, solicited and received bribes from residents of Kotayk region, including a local resident S.G., for facilitating the issuance of driver's licenses without proper examinations.

Investigations revealed that numerous citizens approached S.G. and A.G. for driver's licenses without having the requisite theoretical and practical knowledge. In return for various sums ranging from 40,000 to 300,000 AMD, these individuals helped facilitate formalized examinations with their contacts among the traffic police, who accepted these bribes in exchange for issuing licenses.

As a result, traffic police employees J.V., E.S., and H.M. unduly issued driver's licenses based on superficial acceptance and positive evaluation of examinations without verifying practical driving skills. In some cases, licenses were granted to candidates who had repeatedly failed the practical tests and lacked sufficient driving skills.

Furthermore, the traffic police officials falsified records indicating that candidates had passed their practical examinations satisfactorily—leading to the issuance of driver's licenses based on these false claims.

J.V. faces charges under multiple articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia, including parts 1 and 2 of Article 435, Article 441, Article 445, and Article 440. E.S. has been charged under parts 1 and 3 of Article 435 as well as Articles 441 and 445, while H.M. also faces charges under parts of Article 435 and others. S.G. and A.G. have been charged under various sections for their roles in the scheme. Additionally, charges have been filed against nine more individuals for bribery and aiding in the bribery process.

The preliminary investigation has concluded, and the case materials have been forwarded to the supervising prosecutor for further judicial proceedings.