A driving examiner told a court how he felt “psychosocially pressured” when his boss stopped giving him work opportunities after he refused to carry out tasks he disagreed with.

Charles Lia said that his superior Clint Mansueto asked him to carry out a driving test for an Italian woman who had an expired ID card, and to carry out a driving test using a large vehicle with no working lights.

Lia took the stand before Magistrate Rachel Montebello in the proceedings against former Transport Malta director Clint Mansueto and two of his former subordinates, Raul Antonio Pace and Philip Endrick Zammit.

They are accused of leading a racket to ensure specific candidates obtained their driving licences, allegedly telling instructors to “take care” of candidates flagged by “some ministry or Castille”.

All three deny the charges.

Mansueto was suspended from his role as director at the Land Transport Directorate – a division of TM – in August 2023.

In his testimony, Lia explained that he started working as a driving examiner in 2006. During the time, Mansueto who was his superior asked him to carry out things he disagreed with.

On one occasion, he said, Mansueto asked him to carry out a driving exam for the use of a heavy vehicle. But the vehicle to be used for the exam did not have working brake lights, indicators and reverse lights.

The owner of a particular driving school called Mansueto, who pressured him to carry out the test – but he refused.

On another occasion, Lia said, Manseuto asked him to carry out an exam for an Italian woman whose ID card was expired, and who told him she had no intention of renewing it. He refused.

After those incidents he started being pushed aside and was no longer given opportunities to work overtime and carry out additional duties he was competent to do.

He said Mansueto never gave him a reason. However, he believed this was because he did not comply.

“I think it’s because I did not follow what was imposed on me,” he said, adding that he went on to fight for his job.

“Psychologically, I was not the same. I asked for help and knocked at doors of my superior but did not get anywhere. I also went to various ministries and asked for help, then went to union to defend me. I left in 2019 to become a port worker as I could not take it anymore,” he said. He returned to the job in 2023.

Lawyers Joseph Giglio, Arthur Azzopardi and Herman Mula represented the accused.

The prosecution was led by lawyer Abigail Caruana Vella from the Attorney General’s office and police inspector Wayne Borg.