Driving test fraud: Delia defends Fenech Adami, says highlighting delay issue is not seeking preferential treatment

Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami informed the Nationalist Party that he never approached, sought assistance, or pressured anyone to provide him with preferential treatment to help his son pass the driving test.

"Beppe Fenech Adami has already made a public statement about this. He also spoke to us [the Nationalist party], stating that he never approached anyone with such a request," transport spokesperson Adrian Delia said, defending his colleague.

Delia distinguished between asking for preferential treatment and pointing out an issue that needs addressing, when asked whether action will be taken against Fenech Adami.

"Complaining about a delay is not asking someone to fix it specifically for you," he insisted.

Last Sunday, the Times of Malta published an exposè based on WhatsApp chats with the Transport Malta officer in charge of driving examinations, former transport minister Ian Borg forwarded names of test candidates who needed to be "taken care of" to ensure they passed their exam.

While the scheme seemed to primarily benefit Labour supporters, a notable instance occurred in Borg's conversations with Mansueto, involving the son of PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami.

"This is Fenech Adami’s son... So we give him a new [test] date please," Ian Borg wrote in a message in October 2020.

Speaking to MaltaToday on Monday, Beppe Fenech Adami denied claims that he asked Minister Ian Borg for preferential treatment to help his son pass the driving test.

"I have never spoken to Ian Borg for any favour, I have never spoken to Clint Mansueto, I am not involved in the rampant criminal abuse of this racket," he told MaltaToday outside parliament on Monday.

When asked about a potential conflict of interest that PN MP Joe Giglio might have – he is representing one of the accused – Delia replied that one must recognise the difference between a lawyer defending someone in court and his role as a politician.

In response to several organisations that commented on the driving test scandal on Tuesday, Delia said the party fully agreed.

On Tuesday, the Insurance Association stated that it is growing increasingly concerned about the number of untrained drivers on the road.

The association also called on Transport Malta to immediately identify those who were not competent enough to pass their test but were given a license anyway, so they could retake the test.

Later in the afternoon, this plea was supported by the cycling advocacy group Rota and the NGO Doctors for Road Safety.

The Malta Employers’ Association (MEA) strongly condemned the scandal, adding that the Prime Minister's reactions to these scandals are "a radical invitation to anarchy."

In response, Delia said, "Malta is regressing, progressing backwards to the law of the jungle."

READ MORE: Cassola requests standards investigation into Robert Abela over driver test fraud