While authorities investigated the alleged illicit manufacturing of fake documents at the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), several employees stayed away from work.
On Monday and Tuesday, detectives went to the NTSA offices to conduct investigations, but they were unable to locate several employees.
The police were after employees in the IT department as well as some managers in order to have a better understanding of how an application obtains papers.
The crew was told that the majority of the employees were “on duty” as part of an operation initiated by the authorities to ensure road safety throughout the holiday season.
The detectives are focusing on a new pattern at the authority, in which documents are coerced to be transferred, resulting in fraud.
According to police, the process, as well as others, has been carried out with the help of insiders, prompting the new investigation.
In 2017, the National Traffic Safety Administration (NTSA) shifted the automated registration procedure, as part of measures to avert fraud.
Applicants can simply register and transfer automobiles using the Transport Integrated Management System (Tims).
However, it appears to be prone to failures, which authorities say allows for infiltration and compromise.
According to investigations, this has continued to allow for the manufacturing of cloned number plates, illegally registering vehicles with unpaid taxes, illegal vehicle transfers, and the production of fraudulent logbooks.
Banks have expressed worry to authorities about the alleged fraud, prompting the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to send officers to the National Transportation Safety Administration.
DCI is probing the systems following the recovery of almost 450 legitimate motor vehicle logbooks
