The mayor of Santa Venera is being charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and that he did not allow two LESA officials to conduct a breathalyser test.

Stephen Sultana, a Labour mayor and CEO of Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, categorically denies all allegations.

He says he was not drunk, was never asked to take a breathalyser test and insists he stopped to speak to LESA officials himself on the day of the incident because he noticed they were slacking off from their job.

The incident happened during the Santa Venera feast week last July, at around 2am on Saturday, when festivities had finished.

It is being alleged that Sultana was stopped in his car at the Wignacourt arch roundabout by two LESA officials, who suspected he might have been driving under the influence of alcohol.

The two officials asked him to do a breathalyser test, which he refused, before he allegedly drove away in a dangerous manner, almost hitting one of them.

Sultana allegedly also insulted the officials and failed to obey their orders when instructed to remain on site.

Following a report, the police issued charges and the case is scheduled to be heard in a traffic sitting before the court of magistrates tomorrow.

Contacted for comment, Sultana said it was, in fact, he who stopped near the LESA officials’ car that night to warn them they were not doing their job well after repeatedly noticing that multiple officials stationed around the locality to manage traffic were lazing around.

He said the local council had asked LESA to station officials in pairs at three different locations throughout the feast week to manage traffic during outdoor festivities.

By Thursday, the mayor said, he had already noticed other officials were slacking off and immediately called their boss to warn them that, if the behaviour continued, he was prepared not to pay for the service.

Unattended cars

On Friday evening, he claimed to have also noticed that the two officials in question were not in their post and had left their car unattended with flashing hazard lights.

“After the festivities were over, I helped coordinate the cleaning and was heading home, when I walked past two of the stationed officials, one of whom was sleeping in the car,” Sultana claimed.

“I warned them again and walked off, only to find that another two officials at Wignacourt arch roundabout were also in their car, instead of managing traffic.

“I stopped by to tell the two officials off and went home.”

Sultana denied being drunk at any point and said the officials did not ask him for a breathalyser test. If they did, he would have happily accepted, he told Times of Malta.

I helped coordinate the cleaning and was heading home, when I walked past two of the stationed officials, one of whom was sleeping in the car

The mayor said that, the morning after the incident, he found out that the LESA officials abdicated their work.

In the meantime, he was called in for questioning at the Ħamrun police station after the officials filed a police report against him.

Questions sent to LESA about Sultana’s claims on the officials’ conduct have remained unanswered.

Sultana is being assisted by lawyer Franco Debono.