Driver test fraud suspect arrested in Portimão

A 25-year-old man has been arrested in Portimão after allegedly attempting to sit a driving test using another person’s identity in a bid to fraudulently obtain a Portuguese driving licence.

The arrest was made by officers from the Polícia Judiciária (PJ), who caught the suspect in the act while he was allegedly trying to take the examination on behalf of someone else.

According to the PJ, the man is suspected of document forgery and the unlawful use of another person’s identification documents.

Police said the suspect intended to complete “a driving examination with the aim of fraudulently obtaining a driving licence in the name of another person”.

The identity documents belonging to the individual he was impersonating were found in the suspect’s possession and were seized as evidence.

The Judicial Police said the investigation remains ongoing and has not disclosed whether anyone else is suspected of involvement.

The man is due to appear before a judge for a first judicial hearing, where coercive measures, including possible pre-trial restrictions, will be determined.

The case is being led by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Portimão.

Inês Lopes

Newspaper editor at The Portugal Resident