Corrupt driving instructor Ibtisam Dimachki spared jail for licence-for-cash scam with son
A corrupt driving instructor who bribed her own son to pass her students has wept in court after a magistrate told her she would avoid jail.
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A driving instructor who bribed her corrupt son to pass her students and give them licences without testing them has narrowly avoided prison.
On Tuesday, Ibtisam Dimachki wept as the Adelaide Magistrates Court suspended her nine-month prison term on condition of a two-year, $1000 good behaviour bond.
In sentencing, the state’s chief magistrate, Judge Mary-Louise Hribal, said Dimachki was embarrassed about and genuinely remorseful for her offending.
That, however, could not offset the danger in which she had placed not only her unskilled clients but also the wider community.
“It’s critically important that people who drive on our roads have been suitably tested,” she said.
“Your actions undermined the scheme designed to protect all of us from unqualified drivers.
“It’s finely balanced but, in the end, I’m not going to impose a prison or home detention sentence given your previous good character and good prospects for rehabilitation.”
Court documents allege the offences occurred on July 20, July 29 and August 26, 2017, and that Ibtisam Dimachki, 64, of Newton, worked as a driving instructor.
Her son, Jawad Joe Dimachki, is serving a six-year prison term for running a “cash-for-licences” scam that saw him pass students without ever examining their skills.
He charged between $400 and $500 – money he used to hire escorts and frequent massage parlours – in his scam, which endangered the lives of innocent road users.
In sentencing on Tuesday, Judge Hribal said Jawad Dimachki would meet his mother’s students, supposedly to test them, but would only sit with them briefly in a car and then leave.
Jawad would then drive to another location, meet with Ibtisam and – while being watched by SA Police surveillance – accept certificates of compliance for them.
She would then give the certificates to the students, saying Jawad was “satisfied with her report” that they were competent.
“Text messages exchanged between you and your son show you were aware you were conducting an illegal transaction,” Judge Hribal said.
She said Ibtisam would benefit from structured, supervised rehabilitation during the period of her bond.
