Latvian road agency: two of three cars in Ukrainian ads have forged Latvian plates

The Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), which registers vehicles and issues licence plates in Latvia, has confirmed that two of three cars advertised for sale in Ukraine with Latvian plates have forged ones. The check followed a tip from a reader of the Latvian outlet LA.LV. The matter shows how Latvian law applies to plate forgery committed abroad.

What was established

In August this year, LA.LV reported on cars with Latvian plates allegedly being sold in Ukraine. A reader then suggested they might be cars confiscated from drunk drivers and later donated to Ukraine. There was no evidence for this: the State Police have no record of these cars being driven under the influence or seized in criminal proceedings.

Another reader drew attention to the authenticity of the plates. Mārtiņš Mālmeisters, head of the CSDD communications department, said the letters and digits on the Mitsubishi Outlander and Nissan X-Trail plates do not match the Latvian standard. The VW Touareg plates look genuine. According to CSDD data, none of the cars was sent through associations that deliver vehicles to Ukraine. Cars handed to Ukrainian representatives are removed from the register in Latvia and given transit plates.

State Police position

The State Police Central Criminal Police Department notes that Article 265 of the Criminal Law provides liability for the illegal production, sale, forgery and use of forged plates. Latvian citizens, non-citizens and foreigners with permanent residence in Latvia can be prosecuted in Latvia for offences committed abroad.

For foreigners without such a permit, this is generally not possible, since the offence is classed as less serious; exceptions may apply under international agreements. In such cases the authorities of the country concerned may decide on liability. The State Police can exchange information with foreign agencies but cannot independently investigate or detain people in another country. A Latvian plate on a car abroad is not in itself evidence of forgery.