Pres Ali warns of mass licence suspensions as audit exposes driver’s licence fraud

…6-week grace period given to surrender illegal licences before prosecution

At the Guyana Police Force’s annual Christmas breakfast, President Dr Irfaan Ali announced a sweeping crackdown on widespread irregularities uncovered during a Government post-audit of the national driver’s licence system. The President revealed that the audit, conducted using new technology-driven verification tools, found significant discrepancies across every stage of the licensing process.

According to President Ali, the post-audit has already triangulated the full licensing chain, from individuals who took the theoretical exam to those who received practical certificates to those who were ultimately issued licences.
“We can tell, and we have been able to tell because of the system, all those who wrote the theoretical exam and passed… And we can tell you all those who got a practical certificate and then all those who actually got a licence at GRA,” he said, noting that the comparison exposed sharp mismatches. “Because if you have 150 people passing a theory, but 450 and – something is wrong, you agree with me?”
The President disclosed that some persons were issued practical certificates despite never passing the theory exam, while GRA issued more licences than the number of persons who legitimately passed both stages.

“We have all the names of persons who got a practical paper but never passed the theoretical exam,” he affirmed.
In what he described as an unprecedented enforcement measure, President Ali announced that all individuals implicated will have six weeks to voluntarily surrender and restart the licensing process. After that deadline expires, the Government will take decisive action.
“We are going to give those persons in the public domain six weeks to surrender themselves and go through back the process, or after that we are going to publish all the names in the newspaper, suspend the licence and prosecute them,” he declared. “That is the only way we can beat this corruption. We have to prosecute all parties involved.”
The President emphasised that the success of the post-audit reflects the Government’s wider deployment of technological systems designed to strengthen accountability.
“Technology is your aid, technology is your friend, and technology is also that post-service delivery mechanism that allows us to reject the entire system and add a layer of accountability that is remarkable and second to none,” he told ranks.
He said that the findings of the licensing probe will be made public as part of the effort to restore integrity to the process and clamp down on long-standing corruption. The crackdown forms part of a broader efficiency initiative involving the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Licensing Authority, and the Ministry of Governance, with the President insisting that the reforms will be pursued at “full scale”.
In 2022, the theoretical component of Guyana’s driver’s licence examination underwent a significant modernisation, as the Guyana Police Force prepared to introduce an electronic testing format.
The announcement was made by the then Chief Traffic Officer, Senior Superintendent Ramesh Ashram, who outlined the changes that were designed to improve efficiency and transparency in the licensing system.
The transition to digital testing began in April 2022. During the initial phase, the electronic exams were only available at the Felix Austin Police College, specifically for individuals who purchased their learner-driver packages at Traffic Headquarters and the 4A Brickdam office.
The pilot rollout, according to the Force, allows them to closely monitor the system, identify any issues, and eventually expand the initiative to other locations across the country.
Under the new arrangement, candidates are now required to complete a computer-based multiple-choice test, replacing the traditional paper-based format. One of the key benefits of the electronic system is the immediate availability of results. As soon as an applicant submits their responses, the system generates and displays the score, eliminating long waiting periods and streamlining the entire process.
Officials, when the initiative was announced, believed the digital format would significantly reduce opportunities for manipulation or interference, thereby addressing longstanding concerns about corruption in the driver’s licensing process.
To maintain the integrity of the exam environment, a strict set of rules was enforced.
Candidates must present a valid identification card before being allowed to sit the test. All forms of paper, writing materials, and electronic devices will be prohibited inside the examination room. Anyone caught with restricted items will face immediate disqualification, without the option of completing the test that day.
In cases where candidates do not pass on their first attempt, they will have the option to retake the exam after one month. A fee of $1,000 will be required for each rewrite. This waiting period is intended to give applicants sufficient time to study and prepare more thoroughly before attempting the test again.