Sinagra found guilty of corrupting official
Labour's newspaper Kullhadd reported today that Saverin Sinagra who was found guilty of corrupting an official from the Ministry of health, has been sentenced to one year's imprisonment suspended for two years.
4 July 2010, 12:00am
Martina Said
Martina Said
1 min read
Thomas Woods, assistant secretary in the Ministry of health, was bribed by Sinagra, 74 from Zejtun, to ‘help’ individuals who wanted to pass an exam before the medical board, with the intention of stopping work to receive a pension of invalidity from the social security department.
According to witnesses of Sinagra and the people she used to ‘assist’, she charged the individuals Lm 600, on instructions dished out by Woods himself.
Woods also required certain gifts for the help he was offering, such as a particular brand of expensive whisky. “At times he would get angry at me for bringing him a whisky he didn’t like; he expected one of over Lm53, so I had to pay the difference with my own money,” Sinagra said in her defence plea.
Although it appears to be clear that Thomas Woods used to accept money from bribes, there is no evidence of what he used to do with the money passed on to him from Sinagra.
Kulhadd reports that last Wednesday, Magistrate Edwina Grima found Sinagra guilty of corrupting a public official, and was sentenced to one year imprisonment suspended for two years.
Luke Camilleri •
It continues to come out that Nationalist Party sympathisers just seem to get off so lightly when brought to justice and the sentences really do not reflect the crime.
Crime sure pays in Malta especially if the culprits do not pay back the funds they forfeited , some of which certainly go to the defence lawyers.
•
The truth is coming out.
Now Dr Gonzi cannot say that corruption under his government is only a perception because it has been PROVED in a Court of Law.
What about those who illegally have been receiving their pensions since they have been boarded out? Are they going to be made to refund it?
Is Thomas Woods going to be arraigned and charged with receiving money illegally? Is he going to be made to pay the money paid to those whom he "helped" to be unreasonably boarded out and who may be unable to pay it back?
The people want these and many more questions to be answered Dr Gonzi.
