Magistrate stands down from transport authority fraud case

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima has asked the administration of the judiciary to assign the hearing of a Transport Malta official charged with fraud, to another member of the bench.

It transpires that the co-defendants in related charges are being represented by Padovani Grima's brother Kenneth Grima.

Grima is appearing for contractor George Schembri, director of Alfred Schembri and Sons Ltd, and his accounts clerk, 36-year-old Donald Camilleri, who are believed to have benefitted from a €500,000 scam to inflate roadworks contracts administered by Transport Malta.

Padovani Grima stepped down from the hearing of the TM architect Gordon Zammit, 36, of Ghaxaq, who was again remanded to Corradino Prison where he is being held under preventative arrest following his arraignment.

A fourth person in the charges, 36 year-old scrap dealer Godfrey Cutajar, has already admitted to being the middleman between Zammit and Schembri Bros Limited, and also admitted to charges of bribery and money laundering.

Cutajar was charged with having acted on behalf of Gasparell Baling Co. Limited to launder the money which was paid by Schembri and Camilleri to the Transport Malta architect.