A finance clerk at San Andrea school has taken legal action against former San Andrea School assistant head Trevor Templeman to protect her reputation and professional integrity against what she described as his “totally false allegations” about serious financial fraud at the school.

Leanne Spiteri, a finance clerk at San Andrea since July 2021, filed a judicial protest against Templeman, the second such legal action taken against the former school official in as many days after he went public with claims of financial irregularities to the tune of over €4 million.

Those claims prompted the school to launch an independent inquiry, while school principal Stefania Bartolo subsequently informed parents that she was stepping aside in order to set a good example in corporate governance and in order to take legal action to defend her name and reputation.

On Tuesday Bartolo also filed a judicial protest calling upon Templeman to withdraw his “defamatory and untrue” allegations in her regard, giving him 24 hours to do so and describing his behaviour as simply “vendetta.”

In the latest judicial protest, Spiteri stated that the email sent to parents by Templeman on October 14 aimed at spreading totally false allegations and insinuations in her regard.

The email, complete with attachments that also included a recording, was sent to parents after Templeman resigned his post at the school.

Spiteri said that by going public on social media Templeman fueled the false rumours, to further cast a shadow upon her, tarnishing her reputation and professional integrity.

Trevor Templeman has raised concerns about financial mismanagement at San Andrea private school.

Highlighting the fact that she was no “financial controller” but only a “finance clerk”, Spiteri explained how Templeman claimed that she had “shared” with him in the presence of third parties, information about the alleged irregularities.He had claimed that former school administrator Sandro Galea had allegedly been handed €25,000 “to keep his mouth shut before he resigned.”

Other alleged irregularities concerned transactions made by former San Andrea chairperson, Kevin Spiteri to the tune of around €200,000 which had been classified as “miscellaneous.”

Moreover, the same official had allegedly requested an exemption on school fees in respect of his two children.

And to tarnish her reputation even further, Templeman went as far as to claim that she was the former chairperson’s cousin, Spiteri said.

Stressing that she was not related to Kevin Spiteri in any way, the finance clerk rebutted that claim as “totally not true.”

Templeman, she said, had twisted words and made up a story without producing any evidence to support his allegations. She insisted the allegations were both factually and legally unfounded.

All along, Templeman was well aware that the school accounts had been audited and that no discrepancy had been flagged, she said.

That further served to show that the true reason behind his allegations was “nothing but vendetta.”  Spiteri called upon Templeman to withdraw the allegations within 24 hours and reserved the right to take further legal action to safeguard her rights whilst holding Templeman responsible for any damages suffered as a result of his false allegations.

Lawyer Jessica Micallef Tanti signed the judicial protest that was filed in the First Hall, Civil Court.