Two driving test examiners banned from holding public office for life

Two driving test examiners at the Malta Transport Authority will not be able to hold a public office for the rest of their life after they were generally interdicted and conditionally discharged for three years for accepting bribes.

After hearing Jason Buttigieg and Roderick Galea admit to accepting bribes when they were carrying out duties as public officers, Magistrate Miriam Hayman ruled: "The court does not want to give the defendants or the public the impression that the actions of (Mr) Buttigieg and (Mr) Galea are to be taken lightly..."

On the contrary, she added, the court believed that their general interdiction, for life, was already harsh and for this reason she conditionally discharged them for three years. According to law, general interdiction disqualifies the person sentenced from any public office or employment. The law adds that the court may discontinue the interdiction upon the application of the person sentenced if necessary grounds are satisfied.

Following their arraignment earlier this year, Mr Buttigieg, 34, of Birkirkara and Mr Galea, 30, of Marsascala pleaded guilty to accepting money to carry out their job on and before May.

The law lays down that if a public officer requests, receives or accepts any reward in connection with his office or employment he will be guilty of bribery.

Magistrate Hayman heard Police Inspector Angelo Gafà, prosecuting, explain how he had been instructed to investigate allegations of bribery in connection with driving tests.

He launched a low-profile investigation and learnt that, contrary to procedure, Mr Buttigieg and Mr Galea were handpicking students for the driving test when these were meant to be assigned at random.

As the police compiled more information they called in the first person for questioning. He was Saviour Abela, the owner of Swallow Motoring School, who told the police that the driving examiners regularly asked him for cash in exchange for passing his students.

Mr Galea and Mr Buttigieg initially denied the allegations but later released a statement admitting to accepting money from Mr Abela, saying he pestered them to.

The magistrate also heard the examiners confirm that they accepted small amounts of money from Mr Abela. They insisted that they never passed any students who did not deserve to and explained how, in return for Mr Abela's money, if a student committed a serious mistake they would stop the test even though procedure laid down that all exam time ought to be used.

In so doing Mr Abela saved money on fuel and the car's wear and tear. The examiners also declared they would give the money defrauded to charity.

On handing down judgement, Magistrate Hayman noted that the accused cooperated with the police and filed a guilty plea. However, she said, she could not allow them to "fish for sympathy" by claiming they did what they did because Mr Abela pestered them. If they did not approve of his behaviour they should have carried out their duties as public officials and reported him.

Neither would she allow them to try to attract sympathy by stating that the money would be given to charity as this did not change the fact that they accepted bribes. After all, the money had been obtained illicitly.

Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Kris Busietta were defence counsel.