Former Police Sergeant Adrian Lia admitted to the police that he had stolen cash from the police headquarters, an investigating officer told a court yesterday.

Police Inspector Fabian Fleri said the 37-year-old sergeant from San Ġwann took amounts that totalled about €30,000 over the course of two years.

He would steal cash that had been exhibited as evidence and kept at the quartermaster’s stores, where Mr Lia was deployed, Inspector Fleri testified.

The evidence in each case would be kept in a single sealed bag, even though it might consist of multiple items, he explained. Money would be kept in a sealed envelope within the bag.

Mr Lia would sign his name on the evidence bags as having retrieved the envelopes but then switch them for other envelopes to make it seem as if nothing had gone missing.

In one instance he took cash totalling €7,500, the inspector said.

One day during proceedings in a court case, however, a prosecuting inspector realised the evidence had been tampered with.

In statements to the police, Mr Lia admitted to some 10 thefts between 2009 and 2011, Inspector Fleri told the court.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Fabian Fleri and Melvyn Camilleri prosecuted.

Following Mr Lia’s arraignment last week, the Police Commissioner, John Rizzo, requested that a magisterial inquiry into the death of Nicholas Azzopardi in 2008 – while he was in police custody – be reopened to eliminate any “shadow of doubt” raised in the past days.

Mr Lia was one of the escorting officers when Mr Azzopardi is believed to have jumped off a bastion at the police headquarters. Before he died in hospital, Mr Azzopardi alleged that he had been brutally beaten by the police while in custody and thrown off.

His father is now demanding that an independent investigation be carried out.

The police have always denied the allegations and the inquiring magistrate at the time had concluded he was not beaten at any time while he was in custody and that he had actually jumped.