The Investigation and Analysis Group (GIAT) of the Traffic Subsector of Las Palmas of the Civil Guard, with the collaboration of the Traffic Headquarters of the same province, has proceeded to investigate 16 directors and teachers from different driving schools and a total of 22 students.
As reported by the Benemérita, the investigated driving schools, both from Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, falsely certified certain students who had passed the training course to obtain the class “A” driving license.
In the course of the investigation, carried out between 2019 and 2020, it was also possible to detect a driving school in Fuerteventura that issued, without complying with the legal requirements, certificates that accredit for driving vehicles transporting dangerous goods, the owner and the director of the center being investigated for these events
Start of the investigation
The investigation began in mid-2018, after the Civil Guard received information indicating that, significantly, students enrolled in some driving schools to take the progressive course to obtain the class “A” driving license, which enables driving motorcycles of more than 125 cc without power limit, obtained the aforementioned license without carrying out or completing the training activities, and the Certificate of aptitude was issued to them fraudulently.
In this sense, it is pointed out that the Civil Guard officers were aware that in recent years the rate of road accidents involving motorcycles with serious results has been increasing, both in absolute values and in proportion to the total number of accidents, according to reports from the National Road Safety Observatory. Thus, among the factors that may influence this increase, they do not rule out the lack of knowledge, awareness and skill in handling two-wheeled vehicles by the drivers involved.
On the other hand, the Traffic Headquarters had informed the agents of a letter presented by the person in charge of a driving school, reporting various irregularities personally detected in the way courses are taught by other centers, which resulted in poor quality training and a bad image projected on the road training sector in general.
Investigation and indictment
With these premises and with the collaboration of those responsible for the Provincial Traffic Headquarters of Las Palmas, the agents began monitoring the development of the courses programmed by the different driving schools on the islands of this province, collecting attendance data of the enrolled students and graphic documentation of the activity carried out.
The analysis of this information revealed that on numerous occasions the students did not attend the learning center, or did so for less time than planned. Similarly, it was found that the skill practices in a closed circuit or the handling of motorcycles on roads open to traffic in general, were not carried out or were carried out very superficially and without adhering to the established program.
Courses for the transport of dangerous goods
In the course of the investigations, which included a large number of road training centers, one of them based in Fuerteventura was detected, which had been teaching courses since 2017 to obtain the certificate that enables driving vehicles transporting dangerous goods by means of unqualified teaching staff, issuing the certifications under the name and signature of qualified teachers who did not belong to the center, impersonating their identity. A total of 14 certificates issued in these circumstances were detected without the knowledge of those affected, who could see the authorization obtained revoked.
The owner and the director of the driving school were investigated for these events and that part of the investigation fell to the Investigating Courts of Puerto del Rosario.
Once in possession of this information, the Civil Guard summoned the people involved to testify, as alleged perpetrators of the crime of falsification of official documents and certificates.
The Benemérita recalls that the crime of falsification of public, official commercial documents and of the dispatches transmitted by telecommunication services typified in article 390 of the Penal Code and that, when committed by individuals, provides for a prison sentence of six months to three years and a fine of six months to twelve months.
