Quote from Sunday Times today:
AN EMPLOYEE of the Civil Aviation Authority who was implicated in a pilot licence examination scandal has been axed from his job.
The Sunday Times exposed the scam in April when a whistleblower claimed that commercial pilots, some employed by South African Airways, were paying up to R9 700 to buy illegally obtained copies of Airline Transport Pilots licence question papers.
Passing the test allows pilots to take on more responsibility, including at times taking over the flight controls, of passenger-carrying aircraft.
An independent panel appointed to investigate the allegations found there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the eight implicated pilots but recommended that action be taken against CAA staff involved in the scam.
The panel heard evidence that CAA employee Brandon Harris had stolen a college's computer password to gain access to the test papers on computer. He then passed the test papers on to a pilot worried about failing.
A disciplinary hearing found Harris guilty of a "criminal offence" related to the leaking of test papers.
He was dismissed from the CAA with effect from October 5, CAA spokesman Jackie Mfeka said this week.