Ibtisam Dimachki finally faces court accused of bribing her son Jawad who took cash for drivers’ licences
A mum who allegedly bribed her own son — who was issuing drivers’ licences in exchange for cash to pay escorts — has finally faced court after missing three dates.
- ‘Cash for licences’: Corrupt driving instructor’s scheme revealed
- Clients of corrupt driving instructor dodge jail over licence scam
- Corrupt driving instructor jailed, used bribes to fund escort habit
- Instructor’s mum ‘bribed her own son’, court told
A woman accused of bribing her own son in a “cash for driver’s licences” scam has finally faced court in person — and will seek to broker a plea bargain with prosecutors.
Ibtisam Dimachki missed her first three court appearances over allegations she paid her son, Jawad, to issue passing marks to her driving school students without testing them.
Her non-attendance earned the ire of the Adelaide Magistrates Court, which warned it would issue an arrest warrant if she failed to appear for a fourth time.
On Thursday, Dimachki finally stepped into the dock of the court — prosecutors asked she be immediately placed on a bail agreement.
They argued her lack of attendance in court meant the only way to properly monitor her was to force her to report to SA Police in person at least once a week.
Dimachki, 63, of Newton, has yet to plead to three counts of aiding and abetting a public officer to exercise power in order to secure a benefit.
She is charged with a further three counts of offering a bribe to a public officer.
Court documents allege the offences occurred on July 20, July 29 and August 26, 2017, and that Ibtisam Dimachki worked as a driving instructor.
Her son, Jawad Joe Dimachki, is serving a six-year prison term after confessing to 25 corruption charges in a plea bargain deal that saw a further 99 counts dropped.
Jawad Dimachki charged his students between $400 and $500 for a guaranteed “pass” regardless of their level of competency and, in many cases, never required them to sit a test.
In sentencing, the District Court said he spent his bribes on massage parlours and escort agencies, and had put the lives of innocent road users at risk.
Ibtisam Dimachki missed her first court appearance in late 2018, and failed to attend hearings in January and March this year.
In March her counsel claimed she was suffering from “severe depression and anxiety” — however, a magistrate said that was “no excuse” for missing court.
On Thursday, Harry Patsouris, for Dimachki, said his client was prepared to sign a bail agreement but should not be subject to reporting conditions.
“She was unwell on the last occasion, that’s why she did not attend,” he said.
“She doesn’t have a criminal record (and) we’re in negotiations with the prosecution, hoping the matter might resolve in this jurisdiction.”
Magistrate Brett Dixon placed Dimachki on $1000 bail and ordered she not contact witnesses in the case — but spared her the reporting condition.
He ordered her to face court again in August.
Dimachki left court with her head bowed as she moved past media to a waiting car — its driver told reporters and cameramen to “f--- off you f---ing c---s”.
