As the scandal over bribery allegations in the new and improved driving test regime continued to make the headlines this week, the Malta Transport Authority (ADT) did not confirm with this newspaper what action is to be taken regarding those students who were granted a driving licence only after bribing examiners.

While replies to questions forwarded to the ADT late this week by this newspaper have remained unanswered, well-placed sources have confirmed that at least one, and possibly more, such drivers have been called to retake their driving test.

However, it is not known how wide-ranging the recalls are to be and whether all students, who passed their driving test through motoring schools implicated in the bribery scandal, will be called in for another test.

So far, only one motoring school, Swallow Garage, has been publicly implicated. The school, on it part, has stated that it only engaged in the cash for passes practice after it was approached by examiners who threatened to fail students who did not pay up.

The ADT’s licensing and testing directorate lost yet another examiner this week, leaving it with just one examiner to deal with a large and growing backlog of prospective drivers waiting to take their tests.

The lone examiner is said to be conducting some 13 tests a day and driving schools have had their appointments for tests slashed. One school that spoke to this newspaper this week confirmed it had been given only a single slot for the whole of next week.

With its six original examiners, some 60 tests were being held each day, representing significant revenue for the ADT, revenue that is surely being missed of late. The ADT is reported as being in the process of recruiting a number of temporary examiners to account for the shortfall, but new examiners have yet to be seen in Floriana.

The five examiners implicated in the bribery charges have been questioned by the police, which concluded its investigation into the matter on Wednesday, and are expected to be arraigned in court in the coming week.

Examiner’s drug use and transfer

raised in parliament

During Wednesday’s question time in Parliament, Malta Labour Party whip Joe Mizzi asked Urban Development and Roads Minister Mugliett if he was aware that that one of the ADT examiners who has been suspended previously had problems with drugs.

Mr Mugliett replied he was not aware of the fact but explained how the ADT, prior to the police investigation into the bribery allegations, discovered the examiner in question had been on ‘medication’ and had accordingly given him an internal transfer.

Pressing the matter, Mr Mizzi insisted on asking Mr Mugliett if he had received complaints about the individual and whether the examiner in question has a relative in a ministry.

Mr Mugliett replied that he had not known of the person before recent events came to pass, but confirmed that he did indeed have a close relative who was also employed at the ADT.

Lm80 for driving test passes

This newspaper is informed that the bribes in question were pre-arranged through a third party, and a payment of Lm80 guaranteed a pass regardless of the driver’s 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 this rather lucrative sideline and had at times carried out two to three exams with predetermined outcomes on a single day.