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Criminals have found a good way to legalize – at least temporarily – stolen cars
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Any random buyer can become a victim – a car stolen from a crime, even if bought in good faith, must be returned
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In the case of Krzysztof Gawkowski, the situation is specific because before buying the car, he had it checked at an authorized service center. The service center did not realize that there was another car in France “with the same papers”
There is no mercy – a stolen car, even if bought in good faith, must be returned. If it is not known who owns the vehicle, but it is known that the vehicle is the subject of a crime, it cannot be legalized anyway. “My wife and I lost PLN 100,000,” the MP complains. And he announces changes to the law to protect citizens against such “mine”.
Stolen car: is there a chance to recover the money?
To be clear: purchasing a stolen item is stolen goods, although in the case of MP-Minister Gawkowski there is no criminal liability, because he not only bought the vehicle in good faith, but also had the vehicle checked at an authorized service center before purchasing it. He had the right to count on the service not only to assure him of the technical condition of the vehicle, but also to check whether it was stolen. Theoretically, it should be possible to check that a second similar car is driving in France, although this method of “legalizing” the car has a high chance of confusing the systems: theoretically, the same vehicle can be in France one day and in Poland the next… The question remains ” numbers, replacement of nameplates – all this leaves some traces – you just have to look for them carefully. Apparently not looked for.
Practical effect: the car is seized by the prosecutor’s office
The question arises about the money: can it be recovered? Theoretically, a person who bought a stolen (or any defective car) has the right to file a claim with the seller. And it doesn’t matter whether it is a company or a private person. There is only one condition: this person cannot be a “poof”, he must be someone who has some assets, is “traceable” and “collectable”.
In this case, Krzysztof Gawkowski announced a lawsuit with the suggestion that one of the recipients would be the service center where the vehicle was checked.
Europe’s anti-theft system has surprising loopholes
It is interesting – as pointed out by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski – that in a European country it is possible to register a car that has a “clone”, or rather is a “clone” of another similar car registered in another EU country. All in all, it was good – with all sympathy for the injured party – that it reached the Minister of Digital Affairs. He saw firsthand how flawed the system is and that there is much to repair.
I will also try to bring about legislative changes in the law. Before buying a car, every citizen should be able to confirm whether there is a clone of the car they want to buy somewhere in the EU.
However, there is probably no hope of detecting the perpetrators of the crime, although – theoretically – each subsequent owner of the vehicle can be traced based on the transaction history. Usually, however, a “pillar” appears at some stage.
