The Attorney General's Office captured five alleged members of a criminal network known as Los Rosario. Those involved would be responsible for issuing certificates of physical and mental fitness, which are required to process a driver's license in Colombia.
According to the investigating body, the documents were apparently issued to persons who did not meet the conditions required by law. He also indicated that in order to achieve the forgery “a driving school in El Rosal (Cundinamarca) was allegedly used to issue certificates irregularly.”
The specialized center reported having done 2,000 classes to 151 students since 2019 to date; while the evidence material shows that these events had not occurred.
The Rosaries were captured in El Rosal, in proceedings conducted by the Cundinamarca Sectional, in a joint work with the National Police. “During the proceedings, computers, flash drives, documents listing the names of persons allegedly trained and contracts for the provision of services of the apparent instructors were seized,” the Prosecutor's Office explained in a press release.
The detainees were charged with the crimes of concert to commit crimes, procedural fraud, personal falsehood, abusive access to the computer system and obtaining a false public document. The five defendants did not accept the charges against them.
New requirements for obtaining your driver's licenses
On April 9, the period of comments on a draft resolution of the Ministry of Transport that aims to make the process of issuing driving licenses in the country more rigorous ended. The document regulates technical and theoretical tests to assess the suitability, expertise and knowledge of drivers, as well as differentiates between experts and novices.
The regulations are based on the fact that driving is not a right, but a privilege - as established by the Constitutional Court in Judgment C-468 of 2011 - so that not everyone will be able to perform that office. As well as the analysis by the National Road Safety Agency, which established the need to implement gradual or staggered evaluation schemes for obtaining the license.
For this proposal to be approved, it still needs to comply with several processes, such as the creation of the Evaluation Logistics Support Centres - CALE, which are the bodies that will carry out the suitability tests behind the wheel.
The draft resolution stipulates that those who aspire to obtain a driver's license for the first time or those who need to renew the document should go to CALE. There they will have to take a theoretical exam and two practical tests that will be required to pass in order to begin the process of issuing the “pass”.
“The result of the practical exam will classify the applicant according to their performance in one of the following levels of suitability: basic level, middle level or full level, as well as define the driving restrictions associated with a certain level within the respective driving license category,” the document states.
To take the exam, the applicant must be registered with the RUNT with a certificate of physical, mental and motor coordination for driving issued by a Driver Recognition Center. You will also need the driving certificate issued by an Automobile Training Center, according to the category.
With this, it will no longer be enough that you have taken a driving course, but you will have to prove what you have learned at CALE to obtain a license.
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