Frank Sammut, who has been charged with corruption over oil procurement, was yesterday granted permission to withdraw money from his frozen accounts.

The one-time adviser to former Enemalta chairman Tancred Tabone, who is facing a similar charge, is receiving a pension of €900 a month, his defence lawyer Joseph Giglio said.

This was deposited into a joint account he held with his wife but he could not access it because of the order to freeze it.

The lawyer argued that, although Mr Sammut’s accounts and assets were frozen, according to law he was allowed to withdraw €1,165 a month in living expenses.

Magistrate Anthony Vella granted Mr Sammut permission to withdraw that amount per month, at most.

The magistrate also declared that there was enough evidence for him to be placed under a bill of indictment.

In a previous sitting, the court heard how the company at the heart of the oil procurement scandal, Trafigura, was awarded its first contract in 2004 even though it was not among the 16 bidders vying to provide oil.

Mr Sammut was paid a commission of 75 US cents per metric tonne on that tender, the money being paid into a specially created Swiss bank account, the court heard.

The case continues.