Update 2: Sliema mayor pleads not guilty to bribery charges

Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech was this evening granted bail against a deposit of €1,000 and a personal guarantee of €5,000 after he pleaded "definitely not guilty" to charges of reviling a public officer and asking for a bribe.

Bail was also given on condition that Mr Dimech does not travel abroad and does not approach anyone involved in the case, primarily contractor Stephen Buhagiar, directly or indirectly.

In a tense court sitting during which Mr Dimech’s girlfriend was thrown out of the courtroom after prosecutor Angelo Gafa complained about her gestures, defence lawyers Joe Giglio and Stephen Tonna Lowell argued that Mr Dimech should not have been arrested with urgency.

They said that he was being arraigned on two counts, one was a bribery charge that was investigated on August 11 and he had not been arraigned at that point.

But Inspector Gafa argued that Mr Dimech that the arrest was important because the mayor was giving interviews in which he was making very serious allegations against officers in charge.

The defence lawyers said that one should not be arrested just for criticising the authorities.

After taking a short break to consider the matter, Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna decided the arrest had been justified.

At one point, the magistrate asked the lawyers if they were claiming that the inspector had broken the law during the interrogation and they said they were not.

However, their client believed that the interrogation had not been carried out as best as it could.

Inspector Gafa claimed that Mr Dimech had approached Mr Buhagiar through a third party requesting him to drop his claims.

Mr Dimech was elected on the PN ticket but resigned from the party last week after he was dismissed by the administration of the Nationalist Party in view of his admission to the police that he had solicited a commission from Mr Buhagiar.

The mayor, who is also facing a motion of no confidence by some of the Sliema councillors, has since denied the allegations and said he admitted to the “false accusations” after suffering a panic attack and telling the police “what they wanted to hear”.

The police have said all his rights under interrogation were respected.