Obama's uncle granted hardship driving licence

Apr 04, 2012 |

Washington

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US President Barack Obama's uncle has received a hardship driver's licence, just a week after he lost his regular licence for 45 days in a drunken-driving case.

Onyango Obama, 67, was granted a hardship driver's licence by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles, making it perfectly legal for him to drive in Massachusetts.

He was given the licence after convincing a hearing officer that life without wheels would have posed an undue hardship on his livelihood as a liquor-store manager.

Obama bolstered his case with a letter from his employer as well as proof that he had enrolled in an alcohol-treatment programme.

"He met all of the criteria," RMV spokeswoman Sara Lavoie was quoted as saying by Boston Herald.

Of the state's decision to award Obama a licence even though the US government considers him an illegal alien, Lavoie would only say, "Registry business is based on Registry records."

The licence allows Obama to drive from noon to midnight.

Obama, a Kenyan national, lost his licence last week after admitting in court that Framingham police had sufficient evidence to convict him in an August drunken-driving bust.

Obama is the half-brother of President Barack Obama's late father, and the older brother of Zeituni Onyango, who was granted asylum in 2010.

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