Drainage department engineer testifies in extortion case

An engineer at the drainage department yesterday explained in court that contracts of work were assigned by the department`s director general.

Engineer Mark Mangion was testifying during the compilation of evidence in the case against Vincent Cilia who is being charged with extortion.

Cilia, a civil servant at the drainage department who hails from Zebbug, is pleading not guilty to extorting money from contractors Carmel Bonnici and his son Marco before July 14, 2001.

The two contractors had filed a report at the resources and infrastructure ministry against Cilia on July 19, 2001 claiming he had asked them for money in return for ensuring they got jobs assigned by the ministry.

One Saturday in July, Mangion had been informed that a main sewage pipe in St Paul`s Bay had sprung a leak resulting in drainage flowing along the road and down to the sea.

He went to St Paul`s Bay where he met Cilia, among others. There he learnt that contractor Jimmy Vella had been appointed to dig up the road and repair the pipe.

The Bonnicis had been entrusted with fixing the leak temporarily but the permanent repair job on the leak was assigned to another contractor.

The Bonnicis did not have a trencher and would have had to hire one in order to carry out the job but the department could not wait because of the urgent nature of the job.

The Bonnicis had filed their complaint when they were not given the permanent repair job.

Testifying before magistrate Abigail Lofaro, Mangion said there was no need for the department to issue a written confirmation to contractors to carry out work but the department had issued a written confirmation to the contractor assigned the permanent repair job on the contractor`s insistence.

The letter by the director general to this effect was issued on the Monday when the work started and was passed on to the contractor on that same day.

Mangion said he did not remember calling the Bonnicis not to go on site on the Monday when the permanent repair work was to begin but he did not exclude the possibility that he had done so.

He recalled telling the Bonnicis it was the director general who had assigned the work to another contractor but this could have been about a week after the director general`s letter had been issued.

Mangion said he did not remember whether he had mentioned Cilia`s name when talking to the Bonnicis.

He said he did not feel he had said anything to the contractors to obscure Cilia`s name.

He said his work and Cilia`s did not converge except in an emergency.

Cilia had his own superior and Mangion said he did not involve himself in decisions taken by Cilia. He did not carry out inspections on work directed by Cilia.

Mangion said he did not remember many of the details of those hectic days because the department had been inundated with work and most of the workers involved, including himself, had not slept for over three days.

Mangion said he had nothing against Cilia on a personal level although there were instances when they disagreed on how certain jobs should be carried out.

Police Inspector David Saliba is prosecuting.

Dr Jason Azzopardi and Dr Kris Busietta are appearing for Cilia and Dr Anglu Farrugia is appearing in parte civile.