A court has ruled that there is enough evidence for the indictment of Enemalta’s former financial controller Tarcisio Mifsud, who is charged with corruption in connection with the scandal on the purchase of oil by the corporation.

It is being alleged that Mr Mifsud took commissions on oil contracts awarded  to French oil company Total and split the kickbacks with the former petroleum division chief Alfred Mallia, who is also accused of corruption.

They are two of seven men charged in court in connection with the oil procurement scandal and both are pleading not guilty to corruption between 1998 and 2003.

During today's court sitting, presided by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, ETC representative Joseph Saliba exhibited Mr Mifsud’s records of employment from 1974 onwards.

Enemalta human resources manager Anthony Bonello said that Mr Mifsud joined the company in 1984 as financial controller and retired officially in February 2004.

His last day of work, however, was in October 2003 due to accumulated vacation leave. Mr Bonello exhibited minutes of meetings held between 1998 and 2004 when Mr Mifsud was finance manager. All minutes of meetings held in 2001 were missing.

Antoine Galea, Enemalta’s executive head finance, exhibited all contracts between Total, and its subsidiaries, and Enemalta between 1998 and 2003. The documents included tonnage and payment details.

The first contract was dated between August 18 and 25, 1999 and was for the stock procurement of 20,220 metrics tonnes of gas oil that Total had stored at Has-Saptan.

Lawyers Anna Mallia and Edward Gatt are representing the accused while Police Inspector Angelo Gafa and Superintendent Paul Vassallo are prosecuting.