Vitals: Case against auditor, accounts clerk to be heard separately
Attorney general's office requests separate hearings for accused auditor and clerk
An auditor and accounts clerk charged in the Vitals corruption case will have their case heard separately to the main proceedings.
The court acceded to this upon the request of the attorney general’s office but no reason was given for the decision to decouple their case from the one involving senior former political figures.
Auditor Chris Spiteri is accused of having acted as a “professional money-launderer” for people suspected of siphoning off funds from the €4 billion government contract to run three public hospitals.
He is facing a raft of other charges, including forming part of a criminal association with ex-prime minister Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff Keith Schembri and ex-health minister Konrad Mizzi.
He has denied the claims and is pleading not guilty to the charges.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Vella is an account clerk who had been working for Spiteri at the time of the deal. He is also accused of money laundering, fraud and falsification of documents.
Earlier in April, Spiteri voluntarily ceased his audit functions.
On Thursday, the court continued to hear evidence in the Vitals hospitals deal.
Digital forensic expert Martin Bajada testified briefly about digital extractions that were being carried out on devices.
He told the court that the extractions are still underway and the last lot will be available at the next sitting.
The case was deferred to May 7.
AG lawyers Francesco Refalo, Shelby Aquilina and Rebekah Gatt are prosecuting the Vitals case.
Spiteri and Vella had been originally charged alongside 20 other individuals including Muscat, Schembri and Mizzi, who stand accused of money laundering, bribery, trading in influence and a long list of other charges, including setting up a criminal association.
If found guilty, the trio face jail sentences of up to 18 years and fines of up to €2.5 million.
Prosecutors allege that they received bribes from David Meli, a lawyer who represented hospitals concessionaires Steward Health Care and who is also among those charged.
Brian Tonna and Karl Cini of Nexia BT are alleged to have helped Muscat, Mizzi and Schembri commit those crimes.
Other figures facing charges for major crimes include Steward's IT manager Clarence John Conger-Thompson, lawyer Jonathan Vella, medical equipment supplier Ivan Vassallo and his business partner Mario Victor Gatt, businessman Pierre Sladden, former Progress Press director Adrian Hillman and Mtrace Ltd CEO Brian Bondin.
Lawyers Vince Galea, Giannella De Marco, Franco Debono, Arthur Azzopardi, Stefano Filletti, Edward Gatt, Charles Mercieca, Kathleen Calleja Grima, Shaun Zammit, Shazoo Ghaznavi, Jessica Formosa, Luke Dalli, Mark Vassallo, Alex Scerri Herrera, Joseph Mizzi, Jonathan Thompson, Chris Cilia, Stephen Tonna Lowell, Ishmael Psaila, Charlon Gouder, and Etienne Borg Ferranti are representing the defendants.