Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1470876
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 15 JUNE 2022 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Last week MaltaToday revealed how the dealerships Rokku Aut- odealer and Tal-Qasab Autosales were behind a racket that saw hun- dreds of customers cheated when purchasing imported Japanese sec- ond-hand cars. The dealers are believed to have tampered with the vehicles' mileage and used forged certificates to get Transport Malta's seal of approval when registering the vehicles. Sources indicated that the two car dealers were using the services of a garage in San Gwann to tamper with the odometer and then falsify documentation issued by the Japan Export Vehicle Inspection Centre (JEVIC), to dupe consumers into believing the second-hand car they are being sold is of low mileage. Contacted by MaltaToday, one of the mechanics behind the tamper- ing of odometers in a racket which has seen hundreds tricked into buy- ing cars older than as declared by sellers, has also claimed ignorance about the intentions of the dealer- ships that sought his services. Since the report was published, customers who were sold the tam- pered cars have reached out to this newspaper to detail their experi- ence. They found discrepancies which ranged from 20,000 km to 180,000 km. A number of customers told this newspaper that after reaching out to the auto dealers behind the sale of tampered mileage, have man- aged to reach a settlement. The res- olution has seen certain customers returning their car against a cash repayment, while others agreeing on a cash settlement to reimburse the difference. Following the revelations, con- sumer protection minister Julia Farrugia Portelli called on duped customers to file a report with the consumer authority with details of their case. But despite the settlement, cars with odometer tampering are still on Maltese roads, with the trans- port authority yet to issue a guide- line on how the odometers should be recalibrated. The issue has also led to custom- ers who own a tampered car to try an resell their car to other dealer- ships. "We have already had two persons come to us to try and sell their car," a car dealer who spoke to Malta- Today under the condition of ano- nymity said. "When we checked their car against the database, we found it was tampered. When we told him about it, he asked us what he was supposed to do about it." "It might seem unfair, but it's his problem now. He should not have settled for the cash," he said. He lamented on the lack of direc- tion provided by authorities, insist- ing a number of cars with tampered mileage will now be resold to un- suspecting customers or dealer- ships. "We now have people who have been screwed over, trying to screw other people," he said. Questioned outside parliament on Monday, Transport Minister Aaron Farrugia said all relevant stakeholders are meeting to ensure a better system is implemented to prevent odometer tampering in the future. "I am ensuring that Transport Malta (TM), together with these stakeholders, guarantee that any action that needs to be taken is taken, so that the situation is not repeated," he said. "There are on- going investigations on the subject, but beyond that, there are a num- ber of stakeholders involved in the issue – police, customs and even TM, who all have a role to play." Questions sent to TM on what it is doing to ensure cars with tampered odometers are not re-registered with the authority, and whether it has intervened to ensure tampered cars have the odometer recalibrat- ed on Monday have remained un- answered. GENETIC testing of embryos for medical reasons is a "proportional and ethically acceptable measure" because it reduces suffering in a tangible manner, ADPD said. ADPD Secretary-general Ralph Cassar said pre-im- plantation genetic testing (PGT) considerably im- proves the quality of life to those born through in-vitro fertilisation. "PGT is used by a very small number of persons who are at risk of transferring serious genetic con- ditions to their children. This can have a devastat- ing impact on their children. These people have the right to choose not to pass on this suffering to their offspring," Cassar said. He added that one must ask how ethical it is for medical professionals to deliberately transfer embry- os that have a great chance of harbouring devastat- ing genetic conditions. "While for conservative sections of society PGT for medical reasons may not be seen as acceptable, nei- ther is the alternative ethically acceptable – that is the implantation of cells that will develop and lead to great suffering to a human being in future," Cassar said, adding that it is a well-known fact that not all embryos formed naturally lead to pregnancy. The reaction comes as parliament debates amend- ments to the IVF law that include the introduction of PGT for monogenic disorders. A protocol drawn up by the Embryo Protection Authority and which will also be discussed in parliament, so far lists nine hereditary disorders that can be tested for in cases where there is a family history of disease. ADPD leader Carmel Cacopardo said ethical plu- ralism was a fact and all viewpoints must be listened to, especially on the new ethical challenges brought about by technology. However, he added that socie- ty should ultimately decide how such technology is used. "Access to assisted reproduction should respect and cater for the aspirations of as wide a spectrum of people as possible… enabling access means of- fering practical solutions to those who, for medical reasons, require assisted reproduction. Such services ultimately are there to offer a better quality of life to those who are already suffering physically and psy- chologically because of their situation, and should al- so ensure a good quality of life to those yet to be born with the aid of such technologies," Cacopardo said. ADPD supports embryo genetic testing 'We now have people who have been screwed over, trying to screw others'