Sliema crash accused held Maltese licence despite having no residence permit

A man accused of causing a Sliema crash that cost a delivery worker his leg had secured a Maltese driving licence despite lacking a valid residence permit.

Ahmed Tahruni, 33, is charged with causing serious injuries to another person through careless and dangerous driving, as well as driving without a licence or insurance, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving a Y-plate car without a valid permit and giving the police the wrong details.

Inspector Clive Abela told the court on Thursday that police had found a driving licence belonging to Tahruni stamped by Transport Malta in November 2025.

At the time, Tahruni was considered an asylum seeker and did not have a valid Maltese residence permit. The inspector said police are investigating how Tahruni was in possession of the permit.

To obtain a driving licence in Malta, you must be at least 18 years old and hold a valid Maltese ID or residency card proving you have lived in the country for at least 185 days, as stipulated on the Transport Malta website. 

Earlier in the sitting, the inspector told the court that officers on a routine patrol came across the accident at around 7.20am on May 6. They found a Y-plate Peugeot had crashed into the back of a parked van, leaving the victim trapped between two vehicles.

Makeshift tourniquet

To stop the delivery driver’s bleeding, a police officer created a makeshift tourniquet from a pallet strap belonging to the victim's colleague. However, the delivery driver later had to have his leg amputated in hospital.

The delivery driver was trapped between the car and his truck. Photo: Times of Malta

A breathalyser test administered to the driver resulted in a reading of 131.8 micrograms. A drug test returned a negative result.

At the scene of the accident, Tahruni had identified himself as Mohammed Bashir and presented documents to the police with that name. However, when officers later searched Tahruni at the police station, they found documents bearing his real name.

Police then found out that Mohammed Bashir was his brother’s name.

Times of Malta previously revealed that within hours of the crash, Transport Malta had called operators to a meeting as they scrambled to introduce reforms to the sector mooted months ago. 

Victim’s colleague testifies

Later in the court sitting, a colleague of the victim testified about the day of the accident. He said he picked up the victim with his van at around 5.45am and travelled a route that led them to Sliema.

When they arrived in Sliema, they stopped in front of a supermarket to unload some boxes.

While inside the supermarket, he heard the impact of the car and the van. When he came back out, he found his colleague on the ground in a pool of blood. He said the car’s front end was unrecognisable from the force of the collision.

At that point, the driver exited the car and approached the victim. According to the witness, the driver seemed scared, asking the victim if he was OK and if he was Maltese.

A couple of minutes later, two police cars passed by. The witness stopped them and asked for help.

When the police approached the scene, the driver started walking up the road, looking lost. The witness thought he was going to leave the scene, but a person pulled him aside, calmed him down, and made him stay on site.

Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo presided over the sitting.

Jacob Magri appeared for the accused. Kathleen Calleja appeared as parte civile for the victim.