A driving examiner was jailed today on a two and a half year sentence after he was found guilty of taking £1000 bribes to pass learners. Police believe that there may be hundreds of illegal drivers place d on the road after Richard Cwierzona aged 49 offered those who failed their tests a passing grade in exchange for the money.
Police say he told some candidates that had failed the test over seven times that they could pass for the right amount. In addition, he also offered young females a passing grade on the driving test if they would agree to go on dates with him. One woman who happened to also be a Met Police employee stated that he offered to pass her in exchange for oral sex.
Investigators believe that Cwierzona made thousands from the bribery scheme, but they were only able to link 57 people to him who they thought had ‘suspicious tests.’ After the initial findings the Driving Standards Agency revoked 39 licenses, but police believe that there are many more people out there given the fact that Cwierzona was an examiner for more than eight years.
Cwierzona admitted that he did solicit bribes for the past three years, but he claimed that he did so in order to pay off a loan shark. In court he explained that after his wife had twins the couple experienced financial trouble and he borrowed cash from the loan shark.
He was originally suspended in 2007 for bribery charges but given it was his word against the test takers he was later reinstated back at his job in 2009. Six months later he attempted to bribe Mohammad Chowdhury to pass the test for £1,000 and then again in March 2010 he told Sylwia Wyzlica she could pass the test for £80.
