Filenews 12 October 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The very high success rates of students of specific driving schools at the TOM Paphos raised suspicions in the audit services of the Ministry of Transport, which seem to be confirmed by the investigations so far. In his intervention on the matter, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works confirmed that the matter is indeed under investigation and announced measures that will prevent the recurrence of such scandalous manipulations.
The scandal under study was revealed when the control mechanisms of the competent ministry detected in the TOM Paphos an intervention in its system and a distortion of the data of the codes of the driving schools regarding the successes of candidates to obtain a driving license.
Yiannis Karousos, speaking to CyBC, confirmed that it does appear that schools operating in other districts have much lower success rates than the schools in the district of Pafos. While schools are forbidden to operate in provinces outside their headquarters, he clarified, some schools have created schools-showcases, in his expression, managing to transfer to Paphos candidates for obtaining a driver's license, considering that in this province the success of the exam will be guaranteed.
The complaints that were made and that led to the intervention of the control mechanisms, referred to "invisible" hands intervening in order for candidates to obtain a driving license from specific driving schools of Paphos, to be recorded in the system of the Department with codes of other schools.
From the evidence held by the driving schools it appears that this error was repeated, resulting in suspicions that already seem to be confirmed.
