Ministry of Interior carries out raids at 32 Skopje sites in fake driving‑licence probe

The Ministry of Interior is carrying out a large coordinated operation with searches at multiple locations in Skopje linked to an investigation into the illegal issuance and forgery of C- and D-category driving licences.

Ministry of Interior statement: "The Ministry of Interior today is conducting a coordinated operation with searches at multiple locations due to suspicions of illegal issuance and forgery of C and D category driving licences. The action is ongoing, with the aim of clarifying the cases and securing material evidence."

Investigative background

The current raids follow an investigation opened last month by the Ministry's Internal Control, after it determined that employees in administrative services had allegedly been entering higher licence categories for people who had not passed the required exams to operate trucks or buses. Subsequent checks aimed to establish how many officials were involved and how many licences were issued in this way.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of North Macedonia says that, on orders from a pre-trial judge and at the request of a public prosecutor from the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office – Skopje, searches are being carried out today at 32 locations in Skopje, including persons' homes and official premises within the Ministry of Interior. Other measures are also being taken to secure evidence on suspicion of a criminal offence: "Forgery of documents under Article 378 of the Criminal Code." ([jorm.gov.mk](https://jorm.gov.mk/osnovno-javno-obvinitelstvo-skopje/?utm_source=openai))

There is no official information yet on how many people, if any, have been detained or formally charged. Unofficially, local television reports indicate that some of those detained are Ministry employees, some were operating buses with falsified licences, and others were driving heavy goods vehicles abroad using forged licences.

Authorities say the operation is continuing and that further details will be provided as investigators progress in securing evidence and identifying suspects.

Photo: press material from the event