Prime Minister Robert Abela on Wednesday shrugged off as “hearsay” testimony in court which tied the Auberge de Castille directly to a corruption racket at the transport regulator. 

A driving test examiner on Tuesday recounted under oath how his boss would occasionally tell him to “take care” of particular candidates flagged by “some ministry or Castille.”

The witness was one of three Transport Malta test examiners who testified in court that former TM director Clint Mansueto would pressure them to ensure certain candidates passed their tests.

On Tuesday, examiner Demetrius Psaila told the court that ever since he started on the job about one year eight months ago, Mansueto, his superior, would tell him that sometimes “he had to close an eye or both.”

Other driving test examiners have also testified in previous sittings about pressure they faced to favour candidates. Mansueto himself told the police under interrogation that he felt pressured to help candidates favoured by an unnamed minister. 

Prime Minister brushes off testimony under oath

Asked about this, the prime minister told Times of Malta that the witness in question was testifying about something that someone else had told him.  

Abela said he had already commented on this case a number of times and that no ministers are under any form of investigation. 

As for allegations that calls had been made to TM officials from the OPM as part of this racket, Abela said this was alleged to have happened some three years ago, before he had become prime minister.  

“What he said was that someone else had told him that there had been some telephone calls from Castille and that this all allegedly happened before I became prime minister,” he said.   

Mansueto and TM officials Raul Antonio Pace and Philip Edrick Zammit face charges of having led a racket to ensure specific candidates obtained their driving licences.

The case revolved around allegations that government ministries and private individuals sought help for particular candidates sitting for both theory and practical tests.

All three are pleading not guilty.

A court has heard how Mansueto told police under interrogation that he had felt pressured to favour certain candidates because they enjoyed the favour of a particular minister. Prosecutors have not identified the minister in court.