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VAT dept clerk cleared of bribery
Appeals Court acquits VAT department employee from jail term, stressing ‘original judgement was incorrect’.
28 March 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
Judge David Scicluna presiding over the Appeals Court this morning acquitted mother of two Liliana Galea, from a six month jail term which was handed down by the Magistrates Court last year. She had been found guilty of having received a €1,000 gift.
In her appeal, Liliana Galea insisted that she had done "absolutely nothing wrong," adding that she had worked for the VAT Department for some 10 years.
The case goes back to Christmas 2008, when her uncle Saviour Micallef had
given her the gift because she was his niece, and because she had helped him with returns, which she was duty bound to do.
She said that according to Maltese law one could not have bribery after the fact.
The only thing that resulted from the evidence was that Micallef felt he should give his niece a gift because she was saving him from having to queue.
She also said that the jail term she was given was excessive and the fact that she had received a gift for carrying out her duty, had not harmed anyone, not even the department. This should have at least been reflected in the punishment.
Lawyers Jose Herrera and Veronique Dalli appeared for Galea.
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@thoni
Could you explain what are the "the other more serious crimes in the same vat department,etc etc,(that)go unpunished". It is unfair to throw such allegations and hide under anonimity. If you know of any alleged serious crimes you should report them to the Police straightaway.
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It's their fault. They should change their activities and start dealing in importation of power stations etc. That is much safer.
In the meantime compliments to the Judge for doing justice.
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@ Thoni, you said "We are heading towards a masonic elite class society of who you are and who are your friends". Let me rephrase you sentence, We are not heading towards a masonic elite society but in FACT we living in One. Trust me when I tell you that the Masonry is Alive and Kicking on this pebble when you consider nobody is EVER ACCOUNTABLE for thier dispicable actions and NOBODY knows ANYTHING or SPEAKS of ANYTHING! These people exist in the high echelons of society across industry and in high areas of Government. The type of Masonry Elite Class is the most protected SECRET here in Malta and it EXISTS!!
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Catching the minnows and the sharks are left to roam unmolested. It's typical of this government. As is the case with drug traffickers - catch the unlucky possessor of a few grams of drugs and the provider is left to continue with his dirty work.
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She did not recieve the gift "for carrying out her duty" but for saving her uncle "from having to queue" and so....it is not true that she "had not harmed anyone" because in actual fact she "harmed all those who had to wait longer in the queue" while she "served" and saved her uncle from having to queue.
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commenting on this case and the one,where a baker was found guilty on helping himself to 10euros worth of food,one can see that malta is reverting to the times of charles dickens laws,where harsh sentences are handed on supposed petty crimes and the other more serious crimes in the same vat department,etc etc,go unpunished.Here we are giving the idea that we are strong with the weak,but weak with the strong.We are heading towards a masonic elite class society of who you are and who are your friends.
