Sliema bribery case | Defence claims prosecution 'confused'

The defence counsel of former Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech, who is accused of soliciting bribes for the award of a council tender, has insisted in court that the accusations brought forward against Dimech are incorrect and irrelevant to the case.

Dimech is accused of asking for a commission over the salary negotiated with the council's former contracts manager Stephen Buhagiar.

Buhagiar, 43 of Swieqi, claims Dimech solicited him for bribes of 5-10% on the value of his contract. Buhagiar, a former driver of Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo, was unemployed at the time he was tendering for the public contract to be contracts manager for the council.

Buhagiar has also claimed that he was sacked from his job post by Dimech after refusing to pay up, while he was left jobless since last March.

In a lengthy intervention, police inspector Angelo Gafà said Dimech favoured the offer submitted by Buhagiar because it was the cheapest and had colluded with Buhagiar is drafting the proposal.

Defence counsel Joe Giglio explained that Buhagiar's offer was not only accepted because it was the cheapest but because the offer included a detailed programme of work and other Sliema local councillors had described him as energetic and professional.

Gafà replied by stating that Dimech was duty-bound to choose the most favourable offer but not to ask or accept a commission.

Giglio said it is "common sense that it is not part of a public official's duty to ask or accept a commission." He added that the accusations are "confused" and went on to cite a number of past cases to prove that the accusations are not coherent.

Giglio noted that all references to Dimech's drug problem and the numerous interrogations Gafa led were irrelevant to Dimech's case.

The case continues on 16 July.