Former PL secretary Jimmy Magro arraigned on fraud charges
He is accused of fraud and alleged misuse of some €20,000 in EU funds
Jimmy Magro, the former general secretary of the Labour Party, was back in court on Tuesday, accused of fraud and alleged misuse of EU funds to the tune of €20,000.
He pleaded not guilty to being an accomplice in fraud, fraudulent gain, being an accomplice in forgery and being an accomplice in making a false declaration to a public authority, aggravated as he was a public official.
Details were scant during the arraignment. The charges cover the period 2010 and 2015.
The defence informed the court that it may raise the issue of prescription at a later sitting after analysing the charges.
Kevin Calleja from the Internal Audit and Investigations Department (IAID) took the witness stand and presented a report of a financial investigation into alleged misuse of funds by the Local Council Association. The report was originally presented in June 2016 to then Attorney General Peter Grech.
The case continues later this week. Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil presided.
Superintendent Rennie Stivala prosecuted.
Lawyers Franco Debono, Michael Sciriha and Roberto Spiteri appeared for the accused
Last April Magro was found guilty of corruption for helping a bidder secure a €250,000 public contract for waste collection equipment in 2014. At the time, he was a special consultant to the Local Councils Association. He has appealed.