As the driving test bribery scandal unfolded this week, both the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) and the Roads and Urban Development Ministry have remained tight-lipped for fear of compromising ongoing investigations.

Speaking with The Malta Independent on Sunday, an ADT spokesperson did confirm that investigations were underway and that a number of driving test examiners are currently out on forced leave pending the investigation’s results.

The ADT also confirmed that only two driving test examiners are on duty at the moment, but stopped short of supplying further information at this stage.

While official answers on the matter were not forthcoming, well placed sources speaking to this newspaper have shed some light on the situation.

According to the sources, four of the six examiners are on forced leave – three on bribery allegations, and another for an unrelated infraction. The three examiners embroiled in the bribery allegations are also said to be the most exacting of examiners that were engaged to carry out the new and improved driving tests.

This newspaper is informed that the bribes in question were pre-arranged through a third party, and with a payment of Lm80 one was guaranteed a pass regardless of one’s actual driving ability. The payments in question are also said to have ranged much higher at times.

It is also alleged that the examiners had profited from the rather lucrative sideline and had at times carried out two to three bogus, token exams on a single day.

The dearth of examiners has wreaked havoc on the normal running of the test regime, where examiners typically carry out an average of 10 driving tests each day. With a staff of six, some 60 exams were held daily, but this week the number of exams has been slashed to 20 with just two examiners being eligible to carry out their duties. The state of affairs has led to an enormous backlog of hopeful drivers awaiting their tests. Super One News also reported that that most of the driving tests scheduled for Thursday had been postponed.

As the results of the ADT’s internal investigation are awaited, a number of questions are being asked, including why the police were not involved from the outset given the fact that bribery is a criminal offence, what will happen to drivers currently on the road who have merely paid the right person for the privilege, and how the ADT is to address the considerable backlog of exams, which is building up by the day.