A 29-year-old car dealer from Qormi yesterday pleaded not guilty to paying for a used car worth €400 with counterfeit money.

Duncan Buttigieg told Magistrate Edwina Grima that, in December 2010, he had sold a car to dealer Adrian Muscat who gave him four €100 counterfeit notes.

Mr Muscat is pleading not guilty to being in possession of and circulating counterfeit cash.

Mr Buttigieg said that on his way home he started to suspect that the cash could have been fake, so he stopped at a lotto receiver to ask him to check the money. The receiver confirmed that the notes were fake and noted that their serial numbers were “practically the same”.

Under cross examination, Mr Buttigieg said that the quality of the counterfeit notes was “very good” and that he could have chosen to quietly dispose of them but instead opted to report the matter to the police.

He said he did not do so for the money adding that, should he be given the money back, he would donate it to Puttinu Cares.

Police Inspector Priscilla Caruana testified that from the outset Mr Muscat denied his involvement.

The case continues.