Ten people charged over their involvement in the VAT scam are considering their plea pending the appeal filed by the Attorney General.

They were meant to be charged yesterday but the sitting was postponed after their lawyers said their clients would like to await the outcome of the appeal filed on Thursday. Another group of nine people yesterday pleaded not guilty.

The appeal asked the courts to hand down an effective jail term to the seven men who were given suspended sentences after they admitted to their involvement in the scam. It also asked for their assets to be frozen. Three of them were also fined a total of €1,850 - the highest being €700 - and were given a perpetual general interdiction.

A defence lawyer of the 10 who were meant to appear yesterday said their plea now depends on the outcome of the appeal.

The scam involved deregistering companies and making its VAT number inexistent or by increasing their expenses in a way that they would end up being owed money by the department instead of actually owing tax.

Yesterday's hearings were the second connected with the scam over which 32 people in all (six VAT department employees, six "go-betweens" and 20 businessmen) faced or are facing charges ranging from bribery and fraud to trading in the influence.

The 10 people considering their plea are VAT employee Emanuel Hili, alleged go-between Carmel Sammut and businessmen Brian Zammit, Keith Stagno Navarro, Alexander Scudamore, Maria Borg, Mark Anthony Camilleri, Adrian Debono, Ludwig Camilleri and Ivan Cassar.

The nine who pleaded not guilty are VAT employees Carmel Caruana and Liliana Galea, alleged go-between Herman Sant, and businessmen Roque Polidano, Munther Ananbeh, Anthony Muscat, Keith Attard Portughes, Paul Grech and Stephen Buhagiar.