The former contracts manager at the Mosta Council was this morning acquitted from bribery charges in April 2003.

Joseph Borg, 65 of St Paul's Bay had been charged with taking a bribe from Joseph Cassar, Tony Zammit and Paul Cutajar, committee members of the Koperattiva Indafa Pubblika.

The three men had complained with then mayor Joe Demartino that they were receiving a lot of default notices, and as a result they were seeing a considerable reduction in the amount they were due for their waste collection and road cleaning contract.

When they learnt that the notices were being issued by Mr Borg, they alleged that he had accepted money to stop issuing them.

In her judgement, Magistrate Audrey Demicoli said that the police failed to prove the case and it was likely that the men had filed the allegation against Mr Borg because he had been carrying out his duty.

Defence lawyers Manuel Mallia and Arthur Azzopardi represented the accused.