The Department of Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards at the Ministry of Internal Affairs has filed criminal charges with the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office in Skopje against 27 people. Among the suspects is an employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs who is suspected of several criminal offences related to the illegal addition of categories to driving licences, as well as their issuance and use.

According to the ministry’s statement, the checks and investigative actions uncovered manipulation in the procedures for obtaining driving licences. Data in the electronic system was allegedly unlawfully altered, while public documents containing false information were issued.

The employee of the Skopje Administrative Affairs Unit is suspected of having used her official code and the authorisations she had in the electronic system from 03.09.2020 to 24.08.2026 to interfere with applications previously prepared by other employees. In certain cases, she allegedly rejected completed applications, opened new ones and added categories for which the applicants did not meet the legal requirements. Following these interventions, the applications were approved and driving licences containing false information were issued.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said that the same person had been removed from her position and subsequently from the ministry between 11.02.2021 and 11.04.2021, following a criminal complaint over offences committed while performing official duties and related to abuses in procedures for issuing personal documents. Based on a court decision, she returned to her position at the Skopje Administrative Affairs Unit on 15.01.2025.

The investigation showed that, in 21 cases, driving licences were issued with categories added in violation of the law, while one case remained at the attempted stage. In addition, in three cases, the previous applications were rejected and new applications were then created, again including categories for which the legal requirements had not been met.

Four people are suspected of having acted as intermediaries. In cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs employee, they found interested applicants, put them in contact with the official and coordinated the entire process, including the illegal entry and approval of categories in the system and the issuance of driving licences.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs employee is suspected of 22 criminal offences of “Forgery of a document” under Article 378 of the Criminal Code, as well as one attempted offence of the same kind under Article 378 in connection with Article 19 of the Criminal Code.

Some of the other people reported are suspected of having participated, in agreement with the employee, in the illegal procedures for issuing driving licences. They are charged with the offence of “Forgery of a document” committed jointly, under Article 378 in connection with Article 22 of the Criminal Code. One person is suspected of the same attempted offence under Article 378 in connection with Articles 22 and 19 of the Criminal Code.

The people who obtained driving licences without meeting the legal requirements for the respective categories initially submitted applications, after which the categories were unlawfully entered and approved in the electronic system. There are also grounds for suspecting them of the joint commission of “Forgery of a document.”

Six of them used the driving licences issued in this manner while crossing the state border. Two of these people also used the documents to obtain certificates of professional competence for drivers in the international transport of passengers and goods. The certificates were issued by the Ministry of Transport. The actions have given rise to suspicions of six criminal offences of “Use of a document containing false information,” under Article 380 of the Criminal Code.

In one case, the illegal addition of the category was not completed, giving rise to grounds for suspecting the people involved of attempted and joint “Forgery of a document.”

Regarding the violations identified, the Department of Internal Control, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards informed the Ministry of Transport, specifically the Road Transport and Infrastructure Sector. The request is for extraordinary supervision to be carried out of legal entities that provide training or act as intermediaries in obtaining certificates of professional competence, for the legality of previously issued certificates to be verified and for the necessary legal measures to be taken.

A proposal to initiate proceedings to determine disciplinary responsibility will also be submitted against the Ministry of Internal Affairs employee. Until the proceedings are completed, she will be subject to the mandatory measure of removal, namely suspension, from her position.

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