Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526110
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 SEPTEMBER 2024 NEWS Top LESA officials accused of transferring JASON Azzopardi has requested an ur- gent magisterial inquiry into an alleged multimillion euro racket involving top officials at the local enforcement agency, LESA. The objective of the racket was to fraudulently transfer penalty points in- curred by Maltese drivers onto tourist rental cars, Azzopardi's court applica- tion reads. This would result in the di- version "millions of euros" in fines ex- tracted from rental customers' deposits into the pockets of private car rental companies. The application, which was filed on Fri- day, points an accusing finger at LESA CEO Svetlick Flores and senior custom- er care official Neville Camilleri, among others. Camilleri is a Labour councillor in Paola. Azzopardi claimed that drivers who received speeding or other driving fines would approach Flores and Camill- eri, who would allegedly use a software "backdoor" to access the LESA computer database undetected. From here, they would remove the contravention records and associated licence points from the "client" drivers and transfer them onto tourist rental ve- hicles, whose drivers would be none the wiser. As the tourists' driving licences are not Maltese, none of the licence penalty points would have any effect on them af- ter they leave the islands. Deviously genius: Win-win for all The racket has ingeniously created a win-win situation for all involved, bar LESA, reads the application. "The Mal- tese person's licence penalty points and fine are forgiven, and his driving licence is saved. The car hire company pock- ets the fine deducted from the tourist's credit card and the tourist… leaves [with no penalty points]." When dropping off a rental car, in a hurry not to miss their flights home, tourists would not question a €60 charge to their credit card for a traffic violation, much less return to Malta to contest it. "In an ingenious and perfidious man- ner, but with almost pathological mal- ice, this racket used common sense and organised evil, aided by an intentional lack of audit and forensic verification, in order for the public treasury to lose mil- lions, while the corrupt line their pock- ets." Although the scheme described was the most frequently used, Azzopardi said that there was also a second method, in which the tourist's signature is copied from the rental contract, which LESA has a right to request, and forged on the Licence Penalty Points declaration. In the application, Azzopardi said that he has a number of witnesses willing to testify in the inquiry about the fact that many car rental companies are well aware of this racket which, he says, is widely used by Labour Party delegates. "The person making this denunciation knows that Prime Minister Robert Abela and Minister Byron Camilleri also have visibility over this racket and granted it tacit impunity to continue and entrench itself," the application reads. Former MP Jason Azzopardi has filed a court application claiming that a multimillion euro racket was fraudulently transferring penalty points incurred by Maltese drivers onto tourist rental cars. MATTHEW AGIUS magius@mediatoday.com.mt The sworn application identifies LESA CEO Svetlick Flores (left) and senior LESA customer care official Neville Camilleri (right) as the persons who would access the computer database at LESA to transfer fines and penalty points incurred by Maltese drivers onto tourists Anthony Tabone (left) and Mauro Bianco (right) posing in separate photos with Minister Byron Camilleri