A Transport Malta driving test examiner has claimed in court that a number of colleagues quit their job because they “could not stand pressure” from a director now facing charges over a licensing racket. 

The examiner pointed out that he was one of “the old ones” and not in either former transport ministers [Joe] Mizzi or Ian Borg’s groups.

“One group joined during Minister Mizzi’s [tenure], another group joined during [Minister] Ian Borg’s [time], while we, the "old ones", had joined back in 2004/2006,” said Paul Grech when testifying against his former superior Clint Mansueto on Tuesday.

The TM director, together with officials Raul Antonio Pace and Philip Edrick Zammit, are facing charges over their alleged involvement in the racket whereby particular driving test candidates were flagged by “some ministry or Castille” for help in securing their licence. 

All three are pleading not guilty.

Allegations first surfaced through an e-mail sent to the police by a translator who was regularly engaged by the transport authority to assist foreign candidates sitting for the theory test. 

Help for specific candidates sitting for both theory and practical tests was allegedly sought by government ministries as well as private individuals and Mansueto, who regularly assigned test papers and would point out specific candidates who were to be “taken care of”.

“See if you can get rid of him,” Mansueto would tell Grech, implying that the examiner was to make sure that the candidate would not need to resit the test. 

But that instruction was “rarely” issued in his regard, said the witness, an experienced examiner with a 19-year track record and specifically qualified to test candidates sitting for "special" licences exams. 

“With me, if a candidate drove well he passed, if not, no,” said Grech.

Ian Borg's group

He had known Mansueto for 18 years or so since the time when the director started out at TM’s technical department, also as an examiner.

Yet, relations between the two took a downward turn a few years ago when Grech was unable to report for duty for some twelve weeks after suffering injuries in a motorbike accident. 

When he reported back for duty, he sensed a “total change” in Manseuto's approach and manner towards him.

“Day after day, week after week, month after month” he was only assigned car-related tests and was no longer assigned tests in Gozo, being sent there only as a “stop-gap” when his superiors could not do otherwise. 

As an examiner with a certificate of professional competence, he was qualified to test candidates for passenger and merchandise-carrying vehicle licences. 

But he was cast aside and he began to sense that relations with Mansueto had become strained, deteriorating up to the point that they would communicate by e-mail. 

Instead, the more specialised work was handed to other examiners “in the group of Ian Borg” who lacked the necessary qualifications to test candidates under the special category test.  

“After I fractured my leg, relations became strained” and communication was limited to a simple “good morning”, went on Grech.

When asked why that had happened, the witness replied, “I don’t know.”

Nor had he confronted Mansueto about the matter. 

“Was there some particular episode,” asked presiding Magistrate Rachel Montebello.

“I was put aside so that the standard would be lowered,” replied the witness, who confirmed that candidate testing was assigned to other examiners who lacked the necessary qualifications. 

Fellow “old” colleagues had simply left Transport Malta because they could not stand “pressure from Mansueto”.

Grech recalled an episode when the director had shouted at him, claiming that he was “refusing work” after the examiner voiced concern about a deaf candidate who was assigned to him.

Communication with that candidate was not possible.

“I did not wish to be unprofessional. So I told Mansueto that there were other specially trained persons who could handle such a case better… I did not feel comfortable,” explained the witness.

He also sensed that certain colleagues were distancing themselves from him.

Newcomers also did not mingle.

Only later did they confess that they had been told “not to talk to them [the old ones] and just head inside”.

Mansueto was appointed director of driver permits testing in November 2020 after placing first at an interview for the post. 

A senior human resources manager at TM testified that the call for applications for the newly-created post under the Lands Transport Directorate had opened on October 9 and closed on October 16, 2020.

Out of the four applicants, one was not eligible. 

The other three sat for an interview on October 27.

All three passed but Mansueto placed first and was appointed on November 2 after his appointment was approved by the TM chairman, the witness testified. 

The case continues. 

Inspector Wayne Borg prosecuted, assisted by AG lawyers Abigail Caruana Vella.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri were counsel to Mansueto. Lawyer Joe Giglio was counsel to Pace. Lawyer Herman Mula is counsel to Zammit. Lawyer Chris Cilia assisted Grech up to the point when prosecutors declared that they had not and did not intend to press any criminal charges against the witness.