A company director and his accounts clerk who bribed a Transport Malta architect to inflate bill of quantities related to road works have been handed suspended jail sentences and fined €140,000. 

George Oliver Schembri, 55, from Birżebbuġa and a director of Alfred Schembri and Sons Limited and accounts clerk Donald Camilleri, 42, from Tarxien, were found guilty of obtaining money or property on false pretences, defrauding Transport Malta,  making false declarations and money laundering.

The accused had worked in tandem with Gordon Zammit, an architect employed by Transport Malta who was bribed to inflate bills of quantities issued by the roadworks contracting company Alfred Schembri and Sons. The difference was them split between Mr Schembri and the Transport Authority official.

READ: Contractor claims TM architect pocketed the money

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud in handing down judgement said that corruption was an insidious plague that had a wide range of corrosive effects on society. It undermined democracy and the rule of law, leads to violations of human rights, distorted markets, eroded the quality of life and allowed organised crime, terrorism and other threats to human society to flourish. 

Upon the accused's own admission, the court declared both men guilty, pointing out, however, that Transport Malta had been fully reimbursed for the funds, totalling some €503,519, out of which it had been defrauded.

READ: The contractor involved was blacklisted by the government in 2012

In the light of such circumstances, the court condemned Mr Schembri to a 2-year jail term suspended for four years and a fine of €110,000. His partner in crime, Mr Camilleri, was condemned to an 18-month jail term suspended for four years and a fine of €30,000.

The court also imposed a general interdiction upon the two accused and ordered them to fork out a further €5,065.80 to cover court expert expenses, of which Mr Schembri was to bear the greater share of €3,428.73.

Lawyers Kenneth Grima and Joseph Giglio were defence counsel.

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