RIGA, April 10 (RIA Novosti) - A fake Latvian driving license, bearing the name and photo of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was seized from a Russian national in Germany, the Latvian traffic authority said on Wednesday.
A routine check on a train in southern Bavaria revealed a 27-year-old passenger carrying the license, reportedly issued by the Latvian Road Traffic Safety Directorate to the Russian president.
The department said in a statement the document was “absolutely fake.”
“Every license issued in Latvia is recorded in an official register and has a unique number… No driving license was ever issued to the Russian president,” the statement reads.
This is not the first time fake documents with Putin’s name on them are being seized in Europe.
The Romanian Times reported in August 2012 that a fake Moldovan driving license with Putin’s name on it was seized in Chisinau from a criminal group making counterfeit documents, along with dozens of forged IDs. The person who made the fake told police it was intended as a gift for a friend.
