ILFOV — Every candidate who passes the practical driving exam in Ilfov County must now complete a mandatory 400-kilometer lap of the entire county before the license is printed, under a new protocol personally designed by Mihai Niță, head of the Public Community Service for Driving Permits and Vehicle Registration, who was detained this week on suspicion of organizing the scheme.
The lap, which examiners must accompany on foot for the first fifty meters while applauding, was introduced as a «quality assurance measure» after Niță determined that a simple pass or fail was insufficiently thorough. Candidates who complete the circuit without stalling receive their license immediately; those who stall must repeat the lap until an instructor from a partner driving school confirms they have «internalized the spirit of the route.»
According to investigators, the network behind the exams operated on three tiers: examiners who selected routes free of difficult turns, instructors who collected fees from other instructors and students, and counter staff who scheduled candidates «out of turn» for the practical test. Niță is alleged to have received between 100 lei and 600 euros per favor, while coordinator Cosmin Dobre allegedly took between 100 and 700 lei, plus other undue benefits.
The county's driving schools have adapted by adding a «victory lap preparation» course, charging students for a service that consists entirely of driving in a large circle around the Ilfov perimeter. One instructor explained that the fee covers «emotional support and a bottle of water.»
Police sub-inspector Dan-Mircea Grigore is also under judicial control for allegedly accepting money to facilitate a candidate's practical exam. The Tribunal of Bucharest is expected to rule on pre-trial detention, while the county's newest drivers continue to circle Ilfov, waiting for a license that will arrive only after they have seen every village twice.