Four Lidl supermarket employees stole more than €140,000 worth of groceries by taking whole pallets in nightly raids over several months, before selling the goods on, a court heard yesterday.

A whole pallet of the energy drink Red Bull together with M&M’s chocolates worth some €700 were just some of the items taken before discrepancies in sales were noticed by the supermarket’s warehouse bosses in Sicily.

In one month alone last year, some €89,000 worth of items went missing

In one month alone last year, some €89,000 worth of items went missing, Clayton Bugeja Camilleri from the San Ġwann branch testified yesterday.

In the proceedings, three of the employees, Roderick Garcia, 28, of Cospicua, Andrea Buzza, 23, of Gudja, and Sammy Piscopo, 23, of Fgura, pleaded not guilty to stealing the items last year, while the fourth, David Abela, 27, of Cospicua, admitted to the charge.

Two shop owners – Darren Xuereb, 30, from Iklin and Joseph Vella, 41, from Naxxar – were also charged with handling stolen property and Mr Vella decided to register an admission.

A seventh man, Sandro Vella, 41, from Marsascala, was charged with supplying the first men with the tools to commit the crime.

Mr Bugeja Camilleri said the theft came to light when accounting discrepancies started to be noticed. These amounted to €89,000 in September, €40,000 in October and €31,000 in December.

He did not have figures for this year. The four men are being held responsible for stealing €143,000 worth of goods.

He said the company was ordering more than what was being sold. One of the accused, Mr Buzza, had told him the pallets were being stolen at night and taken from the shop floor to the underground parking area through the emergency lift.

At the end of the sitting, Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona said there was enough evidence to place the men who had denied the charges under a bill of indictment.

The case continues.