A sales supervisor was today charged with stealing about €2,000 in cash from a pouch a tourist had left at a Malta International Airport shop on Sunday afternoon.

Shaun Grima, 28, from Qormi, this morning was arraigned before Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit and pleaded not guilty.

Police inspector Silvio Magro told the court that alarm bells sounded when the pouch's owner, a Singaporean national, went back to the shop found their pouch empty. The inspector said that the incident had been captured on CCTV which would be produced as evidence during proceedings.

On its part the defence insisted that Mr Grima had only picked up the pouch and placed it near the cash till.

The sales supervisor was granted bail against a deposit of €200 and personal guarantee €5,000. He was also ordered to sign once a week at the Qormi police station and not to talk to his work superiors about this incident or else risk jail.

Lawyers Giannella de Marco and Gianluca de Marco were defence counsel.