Two Sliema local councillors yesterday denied using council funds to buy two top-of-the-range Apple laptop computers for their personal use and damaging them when the hard drives were removed.

Councillors Yves Bobby Calì, 64, and Martin Debono, 52, spoke only to confirm their particulars as they stood in the dock with files containing documents, which they referred to as the prosecuting officer testified.

In the run-up to the case, Mr Calì, who was elected on the Nationalist ticket, resigned from the party as did Mr Debono from the Labour Party. They now sit on the council as independents.

Taking the witness stand, Police Inspector Angelo Gafà gave a detailed account of his investigations into the Sliema local council and more specifically into events involving the accused which began in September last year.

He said he had received two anonymous letters in which a number of allegations were made about Sliema councillors, including the accused, the former mayor Nikki Dimech and councillor Patrick Pace.

The second letter contained allegations that Mr Calì and Mr Debono had bought laptops costing some €2,000 each with council funds only for the computers to be kept at their respective homes.

The issue, which centres on two Apple Mac Book Pros, was raised during a council meeting on September 29, 2010, when an invoice for the laptops, which made no mention of laptops but instead of computer hardware and software, was queried following an audit report.

In that meeting, mayor Joanna Gonzi said a letter should be sent to Mr Dimech, former mayor of the council, Althea Borg and the supplier of the computers to find out where the computers were.

Mr Calì was present at the meeting and heard this request but kept his mouth shut, fully aware that the laptops were in his and Mr Debono’s possession, the inspector said.

The following day, Mr Calì turned up at the council bearing both laptops, minus the hard drives and power supplies because, together with Mr Debono, he claimed they had bought the hard drives separately, the inspector said.

He claimed the laptops were needed because Mr Calì worked on the council magazine and Mr Debono on projects related to the council.

The supplier of the laptops, Marius Zulgis, told the police he sold them to the men for €1,163, adding that they were in a sealed box and contained hard drives. He added that the men tipped him €25 each for managing to get them the computers quickly.

During his interrogation, Mr Debono claimed that both he and Mr Calì had paid Mr Zulgis an extra €50 for the hard drives from their own money and that was why they were removed from the laptops. However, he refused to answer any further questions put to him, the inspector said.

Mr Debono also claimed that he acted completely within the parameters of the law.

When it came to Mr Calì, the version was different, because he said that he had given Mr Debono €250 on top of the €50 so that he could have a more powerful hard drive.

When asked why he had not spoken up during the council meeting in which the laptops were mentioned, his answer was that he had given them back. When the police searched his house they asked for the hard drive and he handed it over.

None of the accused had a receipt for the hard drives they allegedly paid for.

During investigations by the cyber crime unit, the hard drives were found to have been used in another computer.

During cross examination, defence lawyer Joseph Giglio asked the inspector if he investigated the fact that the council had approved the very invoice which concerned the laptops.

The officer said that it was approved before the audit report was requested.

The lawyer asked him if he had looked into whether the council had purchased another laptop and found this to be inadequate and returned it, making way for another two.

The inspector said he had not.

The case continues.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi, representing Mr Debono, reserved the right to cross-examine the inspector at the next sitting.