Seven people have been indicted, two of whom were imprisoned, after the dismantling in Besançon of a vast network of fraud to the driver's license, announced Thursday the prosecutor of the Republic Etienne Manteaux.

The suspects have been indicted for organized fraud, said Mr. Manteaux at a press conference. The two people placed in pre-trial detention are the manager of several driving schools located in Besançon and a driving license inspector working for the Doubs Departmental Directorate of Territories (DDT), he added.

The other five were placed under judicial control. An eighth indictment was pronounced against the SARL Auto-Ecole Bisontine as a legal person, added the magistrate.

Anonymous letters

The case began in the summer of 2022, when two people denounced the conditions under which the driving license tests were held. The Besançon prosecutor's office then received anonymous letters. The judicial investigation opened in November 2022 had uncovered a vast network of driving license fraud.

"People who have failed the driver's license exam several times have told the manager of the driving school that they were ready to take it again with a conciliatory inspector, for a fee," explained Manteaux. "Very quickly, a large number of people from all over the France contacted the driving school to register for the exam. The purchase price of the driving license", which reached 2,000 euros, "made it possible to remunerate the intermediary, the driving school and the inspector of the driving license", added the magistrate.

More than 200 fraudulent permits

"Between 200 and 300 permits were issued fraudulently for a damage amounting to 400,000 euros," said Juliette Dupoux, head of departmental security at the Besançon police station. More than 300,000 euros in cash were seized, as well as 115,000 euros on the bank account of the driving school and 73,000 euros at the manager's home.

"The investigation must now identify all the persons who obtained the licence fraudulently so that the title can be cancelled administratively. The beneficiaries of this fraud (...) do not speak French for the most part" and "have only benefited from limited driving training," she added.

  • Miscellaneous facts
  • Besançon
  • Franche-Comté
  • Fraud
  • Driver's licence