Some 34 officers from the police’s traffic branch are on police bail and expected to be charged in court, but not for a while longer, sources have said.
Investigations into alleged overtime fraud by traffic police have been ongoing since they were flagged late last year.
The probe has since been widened and also covers other sections and units within the police force where similar irregularities are suspected to have taken place.
A source familiar with the internal police investigation told Times of Malta that, initially, 42 officers within the 50-strong traffic unit had been arrested and interrogated.
Of these, eight officers had been cleared. Some 28 officers have been suspended and seven were allowed to retire from the force.
The source played down rumours that the officers would be arraigned in court over the next few days, saying the internal investigation was still gathering information and evidence.
When the officers are eventually charged, they would be taken in under arrest and not through a court summons as that would take too long.
“If we were to rely on the court summons system, we may not get round to court proceedings for another year because there is a long queue,” the source noted.
It is believed that officers within the traffic section, mainly those from the motorcycle sector, submitted overtime sheets for hundreds of hours that they did not work, over at least three years.
Investigators are also looking into claims that the officers were using police fuel to fill up their own private vehicles.
The Criminal Investigation Department, anti-fraud and internal affairs units are jointly investigating what has been described as a “web of fraud, misappropriation and corruption” by officers.
Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri has also requested that the Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID) reviews overtime within the force, to recommend improved checks and balances.
IAID insiders say overtime abuse by the entire force could have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of euros over the last few years, however, their audit is still in its opening stages.
The suspected fraudulent practices within the traffic unit were first brought to the attention of the police in December by an anonymous correspondence sent to the then police commissioner. The whistle-blower alleged the abuse had been happening for years.
Times of Malta has since reported on attempts by rogue officers to unmask the whistle-blower, with one officer – suspected by some to have exposed the racket – complaining of receiving threats and various abusive messages.