Contrary to the misconception that wardens often issue parking tickets while being themselves illegally parked, local wardens are actually allowed to park their cars in restricted areas while on official duties as long as they respect certain conditions.

A source close to a local warden company said wardens are told not to consider themselves above the law. However, they are allowed to park in restricted places as long as they do not create dangers, obstacles and inconveniences to pedestrians and drivers. This would mean that wardens are allowed to park their vehicles in reserved parking spaces and un/loading bays for short periods of time to issue tickets. They are not allowed to park on pedestrian crossings, thus endangering pedestrians, or close of access to roads.

The source explained that the rules are clear and wardens, for example, cannot park in restricted areas to stop for a lunch break. If these rules are broken the wardens are brought before a disciplinary board and fined. This has happened on a number of occasions.

The issue became the topic of hot debate again this week after the Prime Minister's Assistant and former PL MEP Glenn Bedingfield complained that a warden who fined him three times in the space of a few hours had done so while being himself illegally parked.

He was reacting after the PN media's Maltarightnow.com reported that Mr Bedingfield was fined three times for being illegally parked in Sliema on 11 December. Mr Bedingfield uploaded a photo on Facebook showing, what he said, was the same car used by the warden who fined him being illegally parked later on during the day.

Later on, after The Malta Independent carried a story related to Mr Bedingfield's original post, the PM's aide sent us another picture, showing the moment he was fined in Sliema. The warden's car, which is different to the one shown in his Facebook post, is shown parked in a reserved spot. 

According to our source, however, the warden was not breaking any rules when he parked in a reserved box and an un/loading bay to issue the tickets to Mr Bedingfield.

In the meantime, the PN media had also reported that Mr Bedingfield was arrogant towards the warden and told him that "the OPM would pay the fines."

When contacted yesterday, Mr Bedingfield denied having said this and insisted that he always paid his own fines. This paper is informed, however, that the warden who issued the tickets said in a sworn statement, that Mr Bedingfield had really uttered those words.

Mr Bedingfield contends that he never said anything of the sort and OPM never paid any fines on my behalf.

"Though I made a mistake of not affixing the renewed licence to the front windscreen, it is obvious that this case was blown up out of proportion for other motives and I'm not left with much room as to who had these other motives," he said.