A former secretary of a St Venera fireworks club was conditionally discharged and ordered to pay back €980 after being found guilty of having misappropriated funds intended to pay for the printing of a festivity programme. 

Malcolm Zammit, 33, from St Venera, former secretary of the 26th July Fireworks Club, was charged after the club lodged a police complaint in August 2015.

The court, presided by magistrate Josette Demicoli, heard how prior to the celebration of the St Venera feast in July 2014, some €700 had been entrusted by the club treasurer to Mr Zammit who was secretary at the time.

The money was reportedly handed over in a sealed envelope during a meeting in front of two other club members. The envelope was not opened at the time.

It was only a year later, when the new club secretary went to collect the festivities programme from the same printing house, that he was informed that the payment for the previous job, amounting to €980, had not yet been effected.

The treasurer insisted that he had handed over the €700 to Mr Zammit who had then topped up the difference by way of funds collected through adverts.

Confronted by the club, Mr Zammit at first insisted that he had never received the €700 thereby implying that he had been given an empty envelope. However, he later said that he would willingly fork out half the expense.

When the cashier refused to make good for the other half, Mr Zammit reportedly informed the club that he had reached an agreement with the printing press to personally pay the sum due in monthly €150 instalments.

The court, basing itself on the testimony of Mr Zammit and that of cashier Sharif Abdul Azziz, declared that "there was no reason to doubt the veracity" of the testimony given by Mr Abdul Azziz.

This trouble could have been avoided if matters had been handled in a "more professional manner," the court remarked, while acknowledging that in such village clubs affairs are generally conducted on the "basis of trust" and that much depended on volunteers.

The court noted that although his friends tried to resolve the issue, Mr Zammit had allegedly failed to turn up to two meetings convened to discuss the problem of the missing funds.

Bearing in mind the nature of the offence, the accused's former brushes with the law as well as the fact that at the time of the offence Mr Zammit was reportedly going through a rough patch, the court conditionally discharged him for 3 years. The court also ordered him to pay to the fireworks club the €980 within 3 months.

Inspector Elliott Magro prosecuted.