Paulini to drive by book after bribe

After years of speeding, driving on her learner's licence unaccompanied and driving unlicensed, singer Paulini Curuenavuli bribed her way to getting a licence.

File image of Paulini

File image of Paulini Source: AAP

After 14 years of speeding and unlicensed driving, singer Paulini Curuenavuli bribed her way to get an unrestricted licence.

Now, after pleading guilty to the bribe, the former Australian Idol contestant will try to get her licence like everyone else - by completing 120 hours of supervised driving and taking a test.

But since she first picked up her L plates in 2002, Curuenavuli has racked up 11 driving offences, all without ever having qualified to drive.

She pleaded guilty on Monday in Mt Druitt Local Court to bribing a Roads and Maritime Services official $850 for the licence and will be sentenced in December.

The offence carries a seven-year jail penalty.

Curuenavuli, who is playing the lead role in musical The Bodyguard, didn't comment to media after she pleaded guilty to corruptly giving benefit from an agent.

Court documents show that since obtaining her learner's licence 15 years ago, Curuenavuli has been caught several times driving unaccompanied, speeding, driving while suspended and driving without displaying her learner plates.

After her licence was suspended in March last year, the Fijian-born singer made contact via text with Fale Vaifale who was working at the RMS centre in Mt Druitt at the time.

She was given Vaifale's details by her nephew.

The two negotiated and agreed Curuenavuli would pay Vaifale $850 in exchange for an unrestricted licence.

After the payment was made, the singer went to the Mt Druitt RMS centre where Vaifale allegedly added a fake United States licence number into the system, allowing her to produce an unrestricted NSW licence for Curuenavuli, court documents say.

Curuenavuli must complete a traffic offender program and drive, under supervision, the required 120 hours to complete the requirements of her learner's licence before her sentencing on December 15.

Her barrister Lisa-Claire Hutchinson told the court the singer would start gaining her required hours "right away".

Curuenavuli is performing six to seven times a week in Melbourne until the musical finishes up in late October and she returns to Sydney in November.

She is able to complete the supervised driving hours interstate, the court heard.

Vaifale was charged in July 2016 for making false documents and no longer works for the department, NSW police have said previously.

Ms Hutchinson revealed in court on Monday 45 fake licences were issued by Vaifale, who was sentenced to a year's home detention in January.


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Source: AAP



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