Former local council clerks acquitted

Shirley Sawyer, 37 of San Gwann and Charmaine Grech 38 of Mqabba, two former Santa Venera council clerks, were acquitted of charges of computer misuse.

In 2007, Joseph Cassar, as the council's executive secretary alleged that two female clerks had deleted data form the council's computers prior to their resignation a year earlier. The two had resigned in 2006 following an argument over vacation leave entitlement.

A year later, Cassar tried to access council documents from their office computers but could not find the data. The same data was later retrieved through the council's servers. Other personnel for had used the same computers since the two left.

Magistrate Saviour Demicoli stated the guilt of the two clerks was not proven beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the two female clerks.