An Enemalta technician became the third man to plead guilty in the smart meter scam as three consumers, benefiting from a government amnesty, testified about what happened.
Richard Gauci admitted before Magistrate Carol Peralta to accepting bribes to install rigged meters and receiving an average €1,200 every time. His case was put off for judgment.
In another sitting on the scam, three consumers identified technician Emanuel Micallef as the person who had offered to install a tampered meter.
Joseph Stivala, Carmelo Agius and George Mifsud testified after they were exempted from prosecution by the Attorney General and Enemalta renounced criminal action against them, in line with the government amnesty scheme that ended on Monday.
I told him: just get me a meter that doesn’t work
Mr Mifsud said that, in September 2012, he was in a Rabat shop having tea when Mr Micallef struck up a conversation with him after he saw the witness holding items used by carpenters.
They exchanged phone numbers after Mr Micallef said he needed some work done at his place. A few days later he called Mr Mifsud to do some work.
“I refused payment for the job. I just wanted to be paid for the material used and, when he insisted, I told him: ‘just get me a meter that doesn’t work’. He told me that something could be arranged,” Mr Mifsud said.
He said he paid €1,500 in cash when Mr Micallef installed the meter.
Answering questions by defence lawyer Joe Giglio, Mr Mifsud said he contacted the authorities after he went home last February 10 to find out that the police had visited to check the meter.
Mr Agius said he was in a bar in Marsa where people were discussing how expensive electricity was. When he left, Mr Micallef followed him and offered to install a meter that would give lower readings. The witness said Mr Micallef had asked for €1,000
Mr Stivala said he met Mr Micallef while he was installing a smart meter at his home in 2012. Mr Micallef had offered to change it with a tampered one for €1,300.
Mr Mifsud’s smart meter was under-registering by 63 per cent, that of Mr Agius by 61 per cent and the one installed in Mr Stivala’s home by 59 per cent.
Dr Giglio asked all three whether they had paid anything to Enemalta or whether the corporation had quantified the amount they had to repay.
They all replied in the negative. Magistrate Peralta also heard the evidence of the prosecuting officer, Police Inspector Daniel Zammit, in the cases of Martin Cilia la Corte, 49, a cleaner from Marsascala, and Anthony Mifsud, 50, a skilled labourer from Baħrija, who are both pleading not guilty to involvement in the scandal.
Mr Cilia la Corte and Mr Mifsud had been identified as intermediaries between the consumers and installers.
About six people named Mr Cilia la Corte as the middleman, Mr Zammit said, pointing out that the police had spoken to about 100 people out of the 400 who applied for the amnesty.
Following a request by defence lawyer Giannella de Marco, Magistrate Peralta granted Mr Cilia de la Conte bail against a deposit of €1,500 and a personal guarantee of €8,500.
Mr Zammit said the prosecution was no longer objecting to bail as the amnesty period had closed and those who wanted to come forward had done so by now.
The police would be getting in touch with those who had called whereas those who did not come forward would be investigated.
Police Inspector Roderick Zammit also prosecuted.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri appeared parte civile for Enemalta.