A 75 year old woman and a 33 year old man were scheduled to appear in court in Diekirch on Thursday morning, accused of giving false testimonies. The woman did not appear as she had a medical certificate, so her hearing will be rescheduled.
The woman's son was prosecuted last year for driving without a licence. In the trial, which took place in June 2018, the man's mother testified under oath that she had paid for, and consequently seen, the document. The accused's best friend provided a similar testimony, saying he too had seen his friend's licence during police checks.
However, there was no record of the document ever being issued, following an audit of the Ministry of Transport and investigations made by the driving school.
On Thursday morning, the accused declared that he did not know his friend did not possess a driving licence, saying the latter had visited him some weeks ago to apologise.
The magistrate pointed out that this conflicted with last year's testimony, in which he had insisted he had seen the licence. The accused chose not to respond further.
The prosecutor said that the man who committed the original crime risked a driving ban, whereas lying under oath risks between six months and five years of prison time.
As the accused did not show any signs of repentance, the prosecutor's office has requested a sentence of 12 months in prison, with the possibility of a stay of judgement.
The verdict is expected on 11 July.
