Suspicions of corruption at the Ministry of Interior have now been referred to the competent authorities. The case concerns the illegal issuance of driving licences for categories “C” and “D”, which were allegedly provided in exchange for bribes to people who had neither undergone the required training nor passed the relevant examination. The Ministry of Interior told Alsat that the case is now being handled.

According to the Ministry of Interior, its Department for Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards has notified the competent Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office and, in coordination with it, is taking the necessary steps to shed light on the case. Once these actions are completed, the public will be informed accordingly.

A day earlier, the SDSM raised allegations of a suspected corruption scheme within the Ministry of Interior. According to its claims, people who had neither completed the required training nor taken the examination obtained category “C” and “D” driving licences illegally—meaning licences for trucks and buses—in exchange for a €1,400 bribe. According to the opposition, the scheme operated by declaring the licence lost, after which the additional categories were illegally entered into the system.

Meanwhile, the Public Prosecutor’s Office told Alsat that the case currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior, although it is being coordinated with the Prosecutor’s Office.

The SDSM also claims that more than 300 illegal licences were issued in this way and warns that the people holding them could pose a direct risk to road safety. So far, however, the institutions have provided no official confirmation either of the figure of more than 300 illegally issued licences or of the claim that €1,400 was demanded for each one.

Meanwhile, the opposition is calling for an urgent and thorough investigation, the identification and cancellation of all suspicious licences, as well as political accountability from Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski.

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