An accountant clerk, found guilty of embezzling company funds, was placed under probation and ordered to refund the money taken from his former employer.

Sandro Grima, 46, was charged with defrauding Megaline (M&E) Limited out of €368,621 over a period of three years between August 2007 and August 2010. The man was also charged breaching the conditions of an earlier suspended sentence.

The court, presided by magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona, heard that the managing director of the company had requested the police to investigate the suspected fraud.

The accused, who at the time was on the company's payroll, was interrogated and charged in court where he ultimately admitted to the fraud and promised to refund the embezzled sums.

The court, after chiding the accused for his "irresponsible and deplorable act", declared him guilty and placed him under a three-year probation order on condition that he would repay all the money taken from his former employer.