Mayor daughter's use of council laptop goes to court

A police inspector insisted in the Gozo court today that the fact that the mayor of Żebbug in Gozo allowed his daughter to access her Facebook account amounted to misuse of the council's laptop.

But lawyer Charles Galea argued that the case involving his client, Charles Saliba, was "baseless" as it lacked the basic legal requirements for the charges of misappropriation and embezzlement to result.

Mr Saliba, 55, appeared for the first time before Magistrate Edwina Grima today and pleaded not guilty to misappropriating the council's laptop and to the embezzlement of public funds.

The charges were filed against him by the police Economic Crimes Unit, which accused him of misappropriating the council's laptop by letting his daughter to use it to access her Facebook account.

Mr Saliba has since resigned from the Nationalist Party, on whose ticket he was elected, but remains Mayor.

Dr Galea said the defence was not contesting the fact that Mr Saliba allowed his daughter to use the council's laptop to access her Facebook account or that he usually used it to access his personal internet banking.

Police Inspector Angelo Gafa testified that the police started investigating the case when the Office of the Prime Minister's Parliamentary Secretariat for Public Dialogue forwarded a letter it received from Żebbug Labour councillor Joseph Camilleri who claimed a number of irregularities committed by the mayor and other PN councillors.

He said the Dell laptop had been purchased in May 2008 for €920 following approval at a council meeting in December 2007.

At the end of the sitting, the prosecution asked the court to appoint an expert to examine the laptop's contents. The request was upheld.