A Ghanaian man living in Belgium has been arrested and is facing trial alongside his lookalike who he had contracted to take a driving test on his behalf after he himself failed 12 times.
Reports say the Ghanaian immigrant, identified only as Serge, living in Grammont, Belgium became frustrated after consistently failing the theoretical part of the driving test, so he thought he could circumvent the system, but the attempt backfired.
Although he had attempted the test 12 times and failed it, he simply didn’t want to quit because getting his driver’s license would have given him access to some highly lucrative opportunities in Belgium. He already had a driving license from Ghana but was unable to use it to operate a vehicle in Belgium, and the theoretical portion of the exam was blocking his breakthrough.
He searched for a lookalike for some time before he came across one Julien, another immigrant of Congolese descent whose physical characteristics were similar to Serge and who had already earned his Belgian driver’s license. The two plotted to beat the system and decided that it would be best to take the test in Mons, in the Belgian area of Wallonia, where the examiners were thought to be more tolerant than those in Flanders.
However, it turned out that, they misjudged how lenient the examiners would be. As soon as Julien delivered Serge’s ID to one of the examiners in the examination room, he realized that he was in trouble. Instead of just giving him a cursory glance, the person was thoroughly analyzing and observing the distinctions in Julien’s facial features and that of Serge on the ID card.
Convinced that Julien was up to some fraud, he was arrested and Serge was also picked up in addition. They both recently made an appearance before a court.
“Without the vigilance of this person (the examiner), he would have received his driving license, even though he is not capable of driving on our roads,” a prosecutor is quoted as saying about Serge in court.
Despite using his actual ID card for the botched fraudulent activity, Serge has been charged with identity fraud. According to the prosecutor, his identification turned insincere as soon as it was found in the possession of the co-defendant for Serge’s advantage. He now faces a year in prison with a suspended sentence, but in Julien’s case, the prosecution requested 200 hours of community service. The court is expected to give its ruling in a month.
source: Pulse
