Former Police Sergeant Adrian Lia admitted various thefts from police headquarters in statements to the police, a court was told this morning.
Police Inspector Fabian Fleri said the sergeant had admitted some 10 thefts between 2009 and 2011 including a theft of €10,000 in cash seized by the police from illegal gambling and smaller amounts of €6,000, €2,000 and €1,000.
Adrian Lia, 37, from San Ġwann, resigned from the force a few weeks ago. The investigation into the theft began when the police took the evidence bag to court and then found that it was empty and the cash was gone.
Police Inspectors Fabian Fleri and Melvyn Camilleri prosecuted.
Following Mr Lia's arraignment, the Police Commissioner last week requested that the 2008 magisterial inquiry into the death of Nicholas Azzopardi while he was in police custody be reopened to eliminate any “shadow of doubt” raised in the past days.
In April 2008, Mr Azzopardi, 38, had alleged that he had been brutally beaten by police while in custody and thrown over the bastions.
The police have always denied these allegations and the inquiring magistrate had concluded he was not beaten at any time while he was in custody and that he actually jumped.
Sergeant Adrian Lia was the officer who escorted Mr Azzopardi minutes before his death.