The temporary disappearance of €4,000 from Gozo Channel ticket sales was only reported to the police two weeks after the incident and only after the media got wind of what happened.

The story dates back to June 25 when an envelope with €4,000 went missing from a ticket booth, although it was later returned.

Times of Malta is informed that the police have since filed charges against Gozo Channel employee Joseph Portelli.

The decision to leave the police out of it was taken by Gozo Channel chairman Joe Cordina who specifically ordered company employees not to involve the police.

The company has since suspended Mr Portelli and he will be facing an internal disciplinary board in the coming weeks.

Gozo Channel employees told Times of Malta that when the envelope went missing a thorough search was carried out on the company premises and in the vicinity of the booth but nothing was found.

When other employees checked CCTV footage, Mr Portelli was spotted walking away with the money.

After the footage was checked, he returned with the packet, saying he had found the envelope on the floor.

According to company sources, the police only got involved two weeks after the incident because Mr Cordina had issued instructions against calling them in.

Chairman told staff he did not want the police involved

Contacted last week, Mr Cordina confirmed he had not wanted the police to get involved in the matter as he sincerely believed the employee did not really try to steal the money.

“I was abroad when the incident happened but I really didn’t want the police to get into this as at the end of the day the money was found and was not stolen,” he said.

Asked to explain why the police were called in so late, he said this was because the media got wind of what had happened.

It is not true I stole the money. I found it and returned it to the company while I was smoking a cigarette outside. Don’t write anything about this story. It’s not your business

“Since the media got to know about the story we thought it would be better to get the police to investigate.”

The employee involved, Mr Portelli, who has links to Labour MP Franco Mercieca, denied he took the money.

“It is not true I stole the money. I found it and returned it to the company while I was smoking a cigarette outside,” he told this newspaper when contacted.

“Thank God I found the money because if it was somebody else the packet would have vanished,” he said.

Asked whether he was suspended by the company, Mr Portelli refused to reply.

“Why are you entering into this issue,” he shouted. “Don’t write anything about this story. It’s not your business.”

The police confirmed it had filed charges against Mr Portelli last week but underlined that it was only called in to investigate the alleged theft on July 7.

This newspaper is informed that the police are also in possession of the CCTV footage.

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