Three defendants sentenced to prison after admitting guilt in driver’s license forgery case

Three people accused of forging driver’s licenses admitted guilt and, following an expedited procedure, were sentenced to prison.

According to the Criminal Court in Skopje, the first defendant, an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, was sentenced to two years and six months in prison. The other two defendants each received a sentence of one year and three months. The court extended the detention of all three.

On September 19, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje filed an indictment proposal against six people for the continuing criminal offense of “Forgery of a document,” under Article 378, paragraph 3, in conjunction with paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

The case concerns the unlawful addition of categories to driver’s licenses, as well as their issuance and use. The court explained that, because an indictment proposal is not subject to review, a hearing was scheduled immediately. It was held yesterday for the three defendants in detention; during the hearing, they admitted guilt and received prison sentences. The other three people remain beyond the reach of the justice authorities.

According to the indictment proposal, the first defendant worked as a junior adviser for travel documents in the Department for Administrative Affairs in Skopje, within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. From September 2020 to August 2026, she is suspected of using her official access codes on several occasions to add categories to driver’s licenses.

The other five defendants are drivers who had not passed the driving test for categories C and D. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, they made arrangements with the official and submitted applications for driver’s licenses that included categories for which they did not meet the legal requirements.

For the three people who remain beyond the reach of law enforcement, prosecutors have proposed that they be detained once apprehended and that proceedings against them continue in their absence.

Meanwhile, in the same case, the Prosecutor’s Office is continuing to gather evidence against 21 other people suspected of acting as intermediaries or using the forged driver’s licenses. The investigation also covers other possible abuses connected to the case.