sam, Oct 14th 2023
The Bernese cantonal police suspect two men of using technical aids to provide numerous people with the correct answers during the theoretical driving test. The two men have been detained.
According to a statement by the Bernese Cantonal Police and the Bernese Oberland Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office, there are indications of around 75 people who may have passed their theory test through the assistance of the two suspects. 32 of these 75 people have been identified.
The main suspects, a German and a Syrian, have been provisionally arrested and will have to answer to the justice system. The 32 persons who are said to have received help have all been reported.
The two main suspects are alleged to have offered their services for payment in the cantons of Bern, Aargau, Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Solothurn and Vaud between June 2021 and March 2023. The 32 examinees come from these cantons, as the Bern cantonal police added on request.
The two main suspects will have to answer to the judiciary for offences against the Road Traffic Act and for complicity in obtaining false certifications. The 32 examinees are suspected of obtaining false certifications by fraud.
At the beginning of 2023, the police received tips about the suspected cheating. In March, they arrested the 34-year-old German in Thun. During the investigation, several technical devices were seized. When analysing these devices, the investigators came across information on about 75 persons who might have benefited from the help.
During the interrogation of the suspects, evidence was found of a second main suspect who, together with the 34-year-old German, is said to have assisted people with the theory exam. The 35-year-old Syrian was stopped in Stettlen BE in June 2023.
As a media spokeswoman for the Bernese cantonal police went on to say, between 1500 and 2000 francs were allegedly paid for technical assistance during the driving test. This technical assistance consisted of ear microphones, button cameras and mobile phones.
©Keystone/SDA
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