Investigations into the overtime racket which decimated the Police Force’s traffic branch are still ongoing, Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said on Friday.

The Police’s traffic branch was rocked by scandal last February after a whistleblower exposed a major racket within the branch – one which allegedly included overtime fraud, fuel misappropriation, and taking protection money from building contractors and transport companies in return for turning a blind eye to traffic contraventions – which resulted in the arrest of over 40 members of the traffic branch.

Asked by The Malta Independent how investigations are progressing and whether there will be any arraignments in the near future, Camilleri said that investigations are still ongoing.

He noted that the police had been transparent with the public and the media with regards to the numbers of people arrested, and that in spite of the issues currently being dealt with at a national level due to the outbreak of Covid-19, the investigations were continuing. 

He said that since the law courts can still open for cases such as these, he looks forward for those investigations to continue and to come to an eventual conclusion.

41 members of the Traffic Branch were arrested over the racket. 7 members have resigned, including Superintendent Walter Spiteri, who led the traffic section. 25 officers have been suspended and 31 have been given police bail.

The investigation was later widened to include other sections and units of the police.

The Traffic Police branch has since been re-strengthened with the recruitment of 12 officers and an inspector – Edmond Cuschieri – to lead it.