Paulini’s driving shocker: Pop star, 41, is BANNED from getting behind the wheel again as her horrific record on the road during ’20 years on L-plates’ is exposed (including paying a bribe for a licence)

Singer Paulini has been banned from the roads again, six years after she was found guilty of bribing a government official to obtain a driving licence.

The former Australian Idol contestant, whose first album debuted at number one on the ARIA chart and went platinum, has pleaded guilty to driving while suspended.

The 41-year-old did not appear at Sutherland Local Court and was not legally represented when the case was heard in her absence late last month.

Magistrate Holly Kemp fined Paulini $300 and disqualified her from driving for three months, effective November 28.

Songwriter, full name Paulini Waninoke Kuruenavuli had her first taste of fame in 2003 when she came fourth in the first season of Australian Idol.

Since then, her career and personal life have had ups and downs, but her driving record is consistently terrible.

Paulini spent almost 20 years on learner plates, committing a number of traffic offenses before finally passing her driving test in May 2021.

Singer Paulini has been banned from the roads again, six years after she was found guilty of bribing a government official to obtain a driving licence. The 41-year-old woman was photographed outside court on the day she pleaded guilty to bribery.

Six years ago, Paulini was given a six-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to bribing a public official to illegally obtain a driver’s license.

At the time, court documents revealed the Fijian-born artist had committed 11 driving offenses since she first received her learner’s license in November 2002.

During that time, she was caught three times driving unaccompanied while holding a learner’s permit, speeding (three times) and not displaying her L license plates (also three times).

Paulini was arrested for driving with a revoked license and an expired license. She was disqualified for a total of 15 months and accrued fines of $4,117.

Paulini pleaded guilty to bribery in September 2017 at Mount Druitt Local Court and was sentenced in December that year.

The court heard she paid a traffic and maritime officer $850 for an unlimited driving license in July 2016 after her learner’s license was taken away three months earlier.

The bribery charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, and Paulini was required to serve for about six months.

The former Australian Idol contestant has pleaded guilty to driving while suspended. She failed to appear at Sutherland Local Court and the case was heard in her absence.

An appeal against the severity of the sentence was withdrawn in the District Court in February 2018 after Judge Jane Culver warned that Paulini was considering a harsher sentence for the crime.

Since rising to fame on Australian Idol, Paulini said a difficult time in her life led her to make poor choices, including bribing an RMS official.

“I experienced a very traumatic breakup due to a tumultuous relationship,” she wrote in a letter filed with the court.

“I’m ashamed to admit that this was not my first relationship associated with domestic violence and low self-esteem.

“In addition to ending my relationship, my failed album release cost me my savings and my relationship with the record company.”

Stating that she was on the verge of homelessness, Paulini said she was forced to move in with her parents, whom she had supported financially throughout her career.

“I was completely shocked and did not feel like I was a role model to my family or fans,” she wrote to the court.

“Not having a driver’s license… was another layer to my self-esteem.”

Paulini called her decision to bribe an official “stupid” and asked her fans for forgiveness.

Paulini announced that she had finally legally obtained her driver’s license in a Facebook post in May 2021, accompanied by a photo of her with her new car (above).

At the time, she was playing the lead role of Rachel Marron in the musical production of The Bodyguard at the Lyric Theatre.

In May 2021, Paulini announced that she had legally obtained her driver’s license in a Facebook post that included a photo of her new Audi.

“So something happened,” she wrote. “This time I did everything right… the legal way. I got my LICENSE, passed my test, took my driving test and passed my test.”

“I can’t tell you how inspiring it was to do this. I learned to believe in myself.

“Last try, I wasn’t sure I could do it… I was so worried… (So I tried to buy it… and we all know how that ended).”

“Thank you so much to my driving tester, you made me feel comfortable in my own skin.

‘It’s a new day! Wave to me if you see me on the road.”