Court reduced sentences in illegal driving licence case from Varnsdorf
Two men convicted of corruption during driving school tests received reduced sentences. The final verdict was handed down by the Ústí Regional Court.
Court reduced sentences in illegal driving licence case from Varnsdorf
The Ústí Regional Court on Tuesday handed down a final ruling reducing sentences for two perpetrators who were involved in manipulations during tests at a driving school in Varnsdorf. The reason was that the original sentences were deemed disproportionately harsh.
The main perpetrator, a driving skills examiner, had his sentence reduced from the original seven years to five years imprisonment. His accomplice, an interpreter, is to serve three years instead of the previous four. The information was confirmed by spokesperson Gabriela Nedělková Pařízková for ČT24.
The case is among the largest of its kind in the country. At least 722 applicants obtained driving licences through fraudulent means. The group operated such that interested parties paid bribes, had correct answers dictated to them during tests, or someone else took the test in their name.
Two commissioners were involved in the network, with one of them dying before the trial, as well as an interpreter and applicants from across the country. Anti-corruption cameras in the testing room exposed improper practices over a period of seven months. The remaining accused concluded their cases with conditional sentences or fines.
The first-instance court additionally banned the main perpetrator from performing the function of test commissioner and working in driving schools for ten years. The second was ordered to pay 600,000 crowns.
Source: ČT24