Two charged over hospital tender

An investment systems officer at the Ministry of IT and Investment was yesterday charged with accepting bribes over the adjudication of a tender for the installation of an IT system at Mater Dei Hospital.

A part-time employee of one of the tendering companies was charged with bribing the public officer.

The men are Noel Xuereb, who worked at the ministry, and Pierre Mercieca, a part-time employee with Inso - one of the companies that tendered for the contract for an integrated health information system at the hospital.

Mr Xuereb, 42, of St Julians, was charged with accepting bribes, embezzlement, taking a private interest in the adjudication of tenders and disclosing professional secrets when he served as a public officer on and before January 14.

Mr Mercieca, 47, of Attard was charged with bribing Mr Xuereb and with complicity.

Both men are pleading not guilty.

The defence team - Joseph Giglio, Emmanuel Mallia and Giannella Caruana Curran - made a request for bail and also asked the court to issue a ban on the publication of the names of the accused.

Magistrate Silvio Meli, presiding over the arraignment, turned down both requests. He denied the request for bail on grounds that there was the fear that the accused would tamper with the evidence. As to the request for a ban on the publication of names, the magistrate felt there was no valid legal reason.

Dr Mallia and Dr Caruana Curran, for Mr Mercieca, then called on the court to order the prosecution to exhibit any recordings involving their client and explain how they had obtained them.

The lawyers argued that there was the possibility that certain recordings were inadmissible as evidence because the police did not have the necessary warrants.

Police Inspectors Joseph Cordina and Ian Abdilla, prosecuting, said they were planning to exhibit such documents.

The magistrate ruled that he would not decide on this matter because it did not fall within his competence as magistrate presiding over the arraignment.

Such a matter would be decided by the magistrate who presided over the compilation of evidence once the case was assigned for hearing.