At least three senior government officials were among those recently questioned in the driving tests probe as the police widens its net into the scandal.
Times of Malta has confirmed that PBS executive chairman and former Transport Malta official Mark Sammut, the head of TM’s land transport directorate Pierre Montebello, and former customer care official at the Office of the Prime Minister Ray Mizzi, were among those called in by the police.
Sources said the police Financial Crimes Investigations Department summoned a number of those mentioned in court as well as WhatsApp messages in connection with a racket intended to help candidates obtain a driving licence.
The individuals, along with their lawyers, were called in for interviews with the police which lasted an average of 30 minutes each. They were released without charge and were not placed on any police bail.
The police are investigating how the names of hundreds of candidates were given to TM’s director of licensing Clint Mansueto to have their tests fast-tracked or helped to secure a driving licence.
Mansueto and two low-level Transport Malta clerks, Philip Edrick Zammit and Raul Antonio Pace, face corruption and trading in influence in connection with the racket. They deny the charges.
Several officials have been implicated in the driving tests scandal.Mobile chats revealed by Times of Malta show how some candidates were advised not to allow their driving instructor to be present in the car during the practical exam, to facilitate the scheme.
The chats reveal a litany of requests to help prospective drivers, from an “opm vvip client” to candidates whose driving skills appeared to leave much to be desired.
The chats show Mansueto was a cog in a larger scheme that saw names of candidates fed to him from Ian Borg’s ministry, at the time responsible for transport, as well as from other government officials.
Sources said FCID investigations continued on the criminal complaint filed by Repubblika over the driving licence scandal. The rule of law NGO last month handed in a letter to the police commissioner, asking him to investigate and press charges against seven individuals mentioned in chats.
Repubblika believes all seven should be charged with trading in influence, forming part of a criminal conspiracy, and promoting an organisation with a view to committing crimes.
Apart from Sammut, Montebello, and Mizzi, the list includes former PA to Transport Malta’s chairman and now secretary to Prime Minister Robert Abela, Rachel Debono, Gozo Ministry chief of staff Michael Buhagiar, and Glorianne Micallef Portelli and Antonella Agius Micallef, who are persons of trust within Ian Borg’s secretariat.
It is unclear whether the rest have already spoken to the police or have been given appointments to report to the FCID offices for questioning.
Chats even show Mizzi and Buhagiar admitted to passing on the names of two candidates in the hope of securing their vote.
Police have had copies of text messages from Mansueto’s phone since October 2021, when he was first arrested and interrogated in connection with the racket. However, only Mansueto and two of his subordinates have been charged with a crime so far.
Examiner Roderick Cavallo testified how on another occasion, Mansueto told him that he would have to “answer to the minister” if he failed a particular candidate. Cavallo described how he would seek to make the selected candidates comfortable and would try to avoid busy roads to cut down on possible mistakes during the test.