Corruption in Cerro Largo: officials sold driver's licenses for ,000 pesos

By Brittany Solano

The Cerro Largo Prosecutor's Office is investigating a network of municipal officials from Isidoro Noblía accused of selling driving licenses irregularly. The maneuver came to light after the inauguration of the new mayor, Christian Morel, who received complaints and ordered the suspension of the delivery of permits until further notice.

According to the investigation, the documents were granted in exchange for 15,000 Uruguayan pesos and without the applicants taking a driving test or written exam. In some cases, it was enough to contact the intermediaries to access the book, which generated alarm in the community.

According to data managed by the Public Ministry, in the last three years some 8,900 booklets were issued under this irregular system. Of that total, 3,927 corresponded to cars, vans and small trucks, while about 1,000 were for road machinery and 1,195 for motorcycles.

The Prosecutor's Office decided to act ex officio upon verifying the magnitude of the case. The suspicion is that the network operated for years without control, putting road safety at risk and violating the trust of drivers who carried out the procedure legally.

For now, judicial authorities continue taking statements and analyzing documentation. Mayor Morel insisted that the measure to suspend the issuance of passbooks is temporary, until the situation is clarified and a transparent process is guaranteed.

The case reignited the debate about controls in inland municipalities and the need to strengthen inspection mechanisms to avoid this type of practices.