Forensic expertise of documents during the investigation of forgery of a driver’s license, its sale and use

The article examines the peculiarities of forensic technical expertise of a driver’s license with signs of forgery in criminal proceedings initiated under Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The main special means of protection against forgery, which are contained in the national driver’s license, are considered. Main methods of forgery of documents with special means of protection are characterized: full and partial forgery. It has been found that the forgery of a driver’s license, which is rarely detected by law enforcement agencies, is related to the production of document blanks and the entry of relevant information into them using modern printing technology. The main methods of forging a driver’s license are systematized: inkjet printing; thermo-sublimation method; offset (flat) printing; electrophotographic printing. The article describes these methods of forging a document, as well as singles out signs that may indicate that a driver’s license has been forged in a certain way. Methods of partial falsification of relevant documents were separately investigated: etching and washing of text; additions and reprints; replacement of individual parts of the driver’s license. The list of forensic expert institutions authorized to conduct forensic technical expertise of driver’s licenses during the investigation of their forgery, sale and use has been determined. The list of forensic expert institutions authorized to conduct forensic technical expertise of driver’s licenses has been determined. It is emphasized that this type of expertise is performed by specialists of state specialized institutions who have expert specialties in the study of document details; study of document materials; research of printing forms and other means of producing documents. The list of methods of conducting forensic expertise, which are used in the investigation of driver’s licenses with signs of forgery, is given. The tasks to be solved by expertise of document details, printing forms and document materials in criminal proceedings on the forgery of driver’s licenses, their sale and use are outlined. The stages of the technical expertise of documents during the investigation into the forgery of a driver’s license, its sale and use have been revealed. In order to improve the process of investigation of criminal misdemeanors provided for by Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, a list of typical issues to be resolved by the forensic expertise of driver’s licenses is proposed.