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Eight people – seven men and one woman between 42 and 74 years old – were identified and detained, by the Investigations Department of the Judicial Police Guard, for the alleged practice of crimes of criminal association, falsification of documents, corruption in the sector . tax evasion and money laundering in the context of the revalidation of driving licenses.
The investigation
According to information provided by the PJ, the suspects resorted to “false medical certificates and / or certificates of physical and mental fitness, without prior consultation of personal assessment, suspecting that they had benefited approximately eight thousand people.” On the other hand, some 400 people were identified and charged. It should be noted that the persons and establishments referred to reside / have their headquarters mainly in the province of Beira Baixa, in the municipalities of Fundão, Covilhã, Castelo Branco and Idanha-a-Nova.
Arrests
After 30 searches, domiciliary and non-domiciliary, with the participation of the judicial authorities and a representative of the Order of Physicians, the eight people were arrested. PJ also said that the Zero Consultation operation allowed the apprehension of evidence, with the presence of approximately fifty PJ operatives. The alleged criminals will be present before the judicial authorities, with a view to the possible application of coercive measures.
Seniors, easy targets
Mariana (not her real name) knows this reality well. “My stepfather is 85 years old and asks for the medical certificate and the renewal of the letter at the kiosk,” he began by explaining, referring to a small business establishment based in the court of Covilhã. “I already told my family that I was going to report this situation and the indicated day arrived,” said the woman, adding that the old man “sent three cars to the scrapyard and, with age, he no longer has the same reflexes.” The emigrant, who recently returned to Portugal, revealed that the fraudulent process goes through the following steps: the employees of the kiosk photocopy the stepfather’s citizen card ”, signs a paper, probably, from the Institute of Mobility and Land Transport (IMT), you pay 50 euros and they send you the driving license home “.
Mariana confessed that the driver “does not know who the doctor is, he has been doing it for many years”, and “the letter always comes with the same photograph.” From the age of 70, drivers must renew their driving license every 2 years, and must present a medical certificate and a certificate of psychological aptitude.
The woman’s testimony is in line with the conclusions of the Consulta Cero investigation, since thousands of drivers, three driving schools, and four commercial establishments have already been identified – which also provide various specialized services, that is, as intermediaries with the IMT- and at least two colluded doctors.
In statements to journalists, the coordinator of the PJ da Guarda, José Monteiro, considered that the alleged criminal practice constitutes a “greater risk to the security of all”, having pointed out that “the majority, or at least an absolutely immense number of citizens who renewed his letters [de condução] since 2016, they did it without prior consultation ”, with the help of agents and entrepreneurs.
1000 euros and a week
Along with him, José (fictitious name) was more confidential, however, he admitted that a relative, who lives in Spain, went “to a driving school in Braga that does this kind of thing and went there to get the license in space of a week, with the right to sleep in a residential and everything “, having paid” 1000 euros “. That is to say, the illegal acts seem to extend not only to the renewal of the title, but also to its 1st edition.
In a statement sent to the Lusa agency, the Regional Section of the Center of the Order of Physicians (SRCOM) stated that before the Zero Consultation operation it referred the case “for analysis in the respective disciplinary body”, and that “the process was processed will develop. form part of the Regional Disciplinary Council of the Centro da Ordem dos Médicos, which is in charge of analyzing and judging possible violations of ethics and the exercise of the medical profession ”. The SRCOM “also requested information from the competent authorities on the participation of doctors in this case.”
