Odometer fraud: Over half of complainants will settle for compensation

Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said more than half of people who lodged a complaint with the consumer authority, after being duped into buying cars with tampered odometers, have been compensated.

“Half of the cases who filed a complaint have found a solution with the car dealers who sold them the cars,” she said in an interview on Fliving.

In an exclusive report, MaltaToday had revealed how hundreds of consumers sold second-hand Japanese cars with tampered mileage gauges, in a racket involving at least two car dealerships - Rokku Autodealer of Għaxaq and Tal-Qasab Autosales of Qormi.

Research by this newspaper showed discrepancies ranging from 30,000km and 130,000km between the original mileage and the one registered in Malta.

Scores of customers have since reached out to this newspaper with details as to how they were defrauded when buying second-hand cars.

Despite an ongoing investigation by the authorities, sources have said the two are yet to be interrogated by the police.

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When contacted the police confirmed that "investigations are ongoing" but insisted that "it is not prudent to divulge further information".

The report also led to the Used Vehicles Importers Association (UVIA) to suspend the two car dealerships involved.

 Following the report, consumer affairs minister Julia Farrugia Portelli called on people who found evidence of tampering on their Japanese-imported cars’ odometer to file a complaint with the Consumer Affairs Authority.

In the interview, Farrugia Portelli said 46 out of 82 complaints have reached a settlement with the car dealers. She said the remaining 36 are still being investigated.

Farrugia Portelli remarked that for now, no case has been deferred to the consumer tribunal, as the reconciliation process is still ongoing.

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