A Copenhagen court sentenced a 21-year-old man to 20 days conditional prison for offering a driving test examiner money to pass his theory exam. The incident occurred during the man's third attempt at the driving theory test in June 2023.
The young man failed his exam with six errors when the maximum allowed is five. He then offered the official 1,000 Danish kroner (approximately $145) to change his score.
In court last week, the defendant claimed he made the offer as a joke. "I'm aware he can't suddenly change it to five errors," he told the court.
The examiner, employed by the Danish Road Traffic Authority, did not find the situation humorous. "You don't say things like that for fun to a public official," he stated during testimony. "You just don't."
The incident took place at the test center on Amager Strandvej in Copenhagen. Court proceedings revealed the young man had 1,000 kroner in his bag that day.
The examiner immediately reported the bribe attempt to his supervisor, who contacted police. The case concluded this week after more than two years of investigation.
This case highlights the serious consequences of attempting to bribe public officials in Denmark, even when claims of joking are made. The court clearly considered the potential damage to testing integrity more significant than the defendant's stated intentions.