Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537233
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 JULY 2025 FEATURE How Malta's largest cab company built ON a quiet hill in Binġemma lies a site that is listed as a 310-space parking facility for a cab company that would eventually dominate the sector. But the site in question is a small field that seems part of the landscaped area of a villa and which is inaccessible by car. This field is one of four addresses which for years, WT Global, Malta's largest cab company, fraudulently de- clared as a garaging facility for its ve- hicles. These addresses were the reason for Transport Malta's decision earlier this year to revoke the company's operating licence, a case that is currently playing out in court. But years before the transport author- ity took action, WT Global continued to build built its massive 347-cab fleet, generating tens of thousands of euros in income, without having to invest in the required garaging facilities. In the years that the company operated with- out these facilities, it enjoyed a market advantage over rival operators that ad- hered to the rules. With WT Global having appealed the licence revocation, MaltaToday took a deep dive into the documents submit- ted in court and the witness testimo- nies in this ongoing case. They show how the biggest player in the cab in- dustry grew rapidly through unchecked illegalities. Fraudulent garaging addresses According to a reply to a parliamen- tary question in June 2024, WT Global had five addresses listed as garaging fa- cilities on its LPTS licence. The LPTS licence contains an operator's garaging facilities and the number plates of all vehicles used by the operator. When Transport Malta (TM) sent WT Global a letter of intention to re- voke its operating licence, the author- ity highlighted that each address listed was not being used for the intended purpose—the garaging of Y-plate ve- hicles. The first address simply reads: "Land at Binġemma, Limits of Rabat." Ac- cording to an architect's report com- missioned by TM, the address WT Global marked as a garaging facility pointed to a field that is only accessible through a footpath. An employee with the company would later testify that the site can hold 310 vehicles. In a reply to TM's notice, the compa- ny's legal representatives explained that the site was removed from the LPTS li- cence before the notice was sent. Ac- cording to the legal team, this was done after TM informed WT Global that the site could not be approved as a parking area in September 2024. The second and third address re- ferred to two properties in Żebbuġ's Sqaq il-Qenċ. Architect reports seen by MaltaToday indicate that the sites are a commercial store and distribu- tion centre for a company selling home appliances. The architect noted that no cabs were seen in the vicinity during two site inspections. A stone's throw away along the same road, WT Global had marked another property as a garage facility. The site was a garage beneath what appears to be a residential bungalow. Once again, no cabs were seen by the architect when conducting a site visit. The company's legal team explained that while the three Żebbuġ sites could be used for storage purposes, they are "available" for parking cabs. A site inspection in the fifth garag- ing facility in Gżira showed that there were indeed five cabs in the garage. Although this address was included in TM's notice that it intended revoking the licence, it was left out in the au- thority's final decision to revoke the company's licence. Through its legal team, the company denies making false declarations, and maintains that it has operated in ac- cordance with the law. With four "garaging facilities" not fit for their intended purposes, industry sources have asked how was it possible for them to be listed on WT Global's operating licence in the first place. The company's director and own- er, Walid Ouhida shed some light on this in a sworn statement submitted in court during the appeal proceedings. "Transport Malta never conducted pre-approval inspections prior to add- ing them (garaging facilities) to the op- erating licence. The authority merely checked that all required documenta- tion was in place, including the archi- tect's declaration, site plan, and either a permit or a submitted permit appli- cation with the Planning Authority," the company's director said. Company kept growing despite flagged address WT Global's LPTS licence was of- ficially revoked by TM on 21 January 2025 after the company was given a notice of intention to revoke on 13 Jan- uary. But a 2023 letter from TM shows that the authority had known about the du- bious addresses much earlier than the revocation. The letter, which was sub- mitted in court, shows that the com- pany's Binġemma address was flagged since it did not have the necessary per- mit from the Planning Authority to be MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt WT Global owns 347 cabs (File Photo) The company's founder and director, Walid Ouhida lives a life of luxury according to his own social media profile WT Global's fleet made just over €1.3 million in sales in one month — while using fake garage addresses.