What lessons can we learn from the case of Ngoc Trinh's driving instructor being prosecuted regarding the purchase of fake driving licenses?

Recently, the Ho Chi Minh City Police Investigation Agency initiated legal proceedings and temporarily detained Tran Xuan Dong (36 years old, residing in District 4) on charges of using forged documents of an agency or organization and disturbing public order. Dong is a driving instructor for model Ngoc Trinh.

The investigating agency determined that Tran Xuan Dong had purchased a large-displacement motorcycle with forged documents for personal use. The suspect confessed that although he knew the motorcycle registration certificate was fake, he intentionally bought it for personal use because he saw that the motorcycle with license plate number 59A3-115.88, a BMW, was cheap.

The demand for selling fake vehicle registration papers is not uncommon. Simply typing "driving license test" on Facebook reveals dozens of private and public groups with thousands of members. Within these groups, dozens of posts daily advertise the sale of cheap motorcycle and car driving licenses, and driving license test packages for those "without time."

Groups selling fake driver's licenses are flourishing.

Despite repeated investigations and prosecutions by authorities regarding the buying and selling of fake driver's licenses, the trade in these licenses has recently resumed openly on social media. They operate under the guise of "driving test centers" to provide advice and sell counterfeit licenses.

Posing as a potential customer, the reporter contacted a page called "Teacher HP Driving Test Center" through an advertisement on Facebook.

After sending a message pretending to buy a driver's license, the page immediately responded: "Please leave your phone number for specific advice." When the reporter sent the number, someone contacted them, introducing himself as Phat, an employee receiving applications at a driver's license testing center based in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vụ thầy dạy lái xe cho Ngọc Trinh bị khởi tố, thấy gì từ việc mua bằng giả? - 1 — Fake driver's licenses and other documents are being widely sold on social media (Image: screenshot).

According to this person, to obtain an A1 driver's license, the buyer needs to pay 1.5 million VND. "We will submit the application to the center, and then someone will take the exam on your behalf. We guarantee all original documents will be included, with a QR code from the Ministry of Transport . No deposit is required; you can check the license upon receipt, and if there are any problems, just return it. You will receive your license in about 3 to 5 days," this person advised.

Similarly, reporters approached another group called "Making Fake Documents," which operates openly and has over 55,000 members. This group features numerous posts advertising the sale of fake driver's licenses and other documents. "We make all kinds of documents, specializing in land ownership certificates, savings passbooks, vehicle inspection stamps, driver's licenses, personal identification documents, etc.," is just one of hundreds of offers posted to potential customers.

Contacting a person named HA in the aforementioned group, this person claimed to be a direct supplier and producer of driver's licenses, without intermediaries. "If you order in large quantities, we'll offer a reasonable price. For orders of 20 sets or more, each motorcycle license costs only 1.3 million VND, and each car license costs 1.8 million VND," HA said.

To gain the customer's trust, this person sent a series of newly made fake driver's licenses and documents to the customer. He said that to ensure safety for both parties, the buyer needed to transfer 500,000 VND, after which the seller would create a sample driver's license according to the customer's requested information and send a video for confirmation.

The penalty could be up to two years in prison.

Speaking to a reporter from Dan Tri newspaper, an officer from the Traffic Police and Public Order Team in Ho Chi Minh City said that counterfeit driver's licenses and vehicle registration papers are very sophisticated and difficult to detect with the naked eye.

When dealing with traffic violators, traffic police will check the driver's license information through a specialized mobile application to determine whether it is genuine or fake. "The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport's application has a lookup software; just click on the information and you'll know immediately," this person said.

According to traffic police officers, when they learn that a violator is using a fake driver's license, the authorities will gather information and report it to their superiors, requesting verification. The police will then clarify where the violator purchased the license in order to determine the next course of action.

People who want a driver's license must register for driving lessons and take the exam at designated locations of the Department of Transportation and reputable driving schools. People should absolutely not believe advertisements on social media promising to buy a genuine driver's license without taking an exam, to avoid negative consequences later on.

"Since the beginning of the year, our unit has detected two cases of motorbike drivers using fake licenses," a traffic police officer from District 1 Police Department shared.

In addition, a traffic police officer from the Ho Chi Minh City Police Department's Traffic Police Division (PC08) stated that when checking a driver's license of a violator, officers will use the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport's application to check the serial number, name, age, etc., for initial verification. For more accurate information, the traffic police must send the suspected license to the Department of Transport for verification.

The traffic police will only take action after a conclusion is reached by the competent authority. Simultaneously, the traffic police will send evidence identifying the fake driver's license to the investigative police agency to work with the buyer to clarify the place of purchase, purpose of use, etc.

Speaking with reporters, lawyer Tran Minh Hung (Head of Gia Dinh Law Office, Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association) stated that a driver's license is a type of permit or certificate issued by a state agency or competent authority to a specific individual. These documents allow the person to operate, circulate, and participate in traffic using motor vehicles or other types of vehicles on public roads.

The authorities authorized to issue driver's licenses include: the Vietnam Road Administration and the Departments of Transport in the localities.

The act of forging driver's licenses and counterfeiting seals, documents, and papers of agencies and organizations, such as using fake seals or printing fake diplomas, is strictly prohibited under Vietnamese law because it infringes upon administrative order.

The crimes of forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations, and using forged seals or documents of agencies and organizations are stipulated as follows: Anyone who forges seals, documents, or other papers of agencies or organizations, or uses forged seals, documents, or papers to commit illegal acts, shall be fined from 30 to 100 million VND, sentenced to non-custodial correctional labor for up to 3 years, or imprisoned from 6 months to 2 years.

"If the offense is committed two or more times, forging 2 to 5 seals, documents, or other papers; using forged seals, documents, or other papers to commit minor or serious crimes; or illegally profiting from 10 to 50 million VND, the penalty will be imprisonment for 2-5 years," lawyer Hung cited.

According to Decree 100/2019 amending Decree 123/2021, drivers using fake driver's licenses may be fined between 10 and 12 million VND. The fake license will also be confiscated. Furthermore, according to Circular 12/2017 amending Circular 38/2019, drivers using fake licenses will be barred from obtaining a driver's license for 5 years from the date the violation is discovered.

According to the lawyer, those who sell fake driver's licenses, whether directly or through intermediaries, will also be subject to administrative penalties similar to those for forging driver's licenses, or prosecuted for the crime of forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations as accomplices.

To prevent this behavior, according to lawyer Hung, authorities need to consider increasing administrative penalties to ensure sufficient deterrence for violators and those intending to violate the law. If there are signs of criminal activity, a thorough investigation, prosecution, and trial are necessary, contributing to increased legal enforcement in general and improved administrative management in the field of driver's license issuance.

Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen inspection, management, and coordinated efforts among competent authorities to promptly detect the production and sale of counterfeit driver's licenses on the market and to take strict action against violators.

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