A hotel manager was yesterday charged with living off the earnings of prostitution while, in a separate arraignment, four foreign women aged between 24 and 30, were charged with prostitution at the hotel.

Tarcisio Agius, 51, of Paola pleaded not guilty to living off the earnings of prostitution and allowing the Sliema hotel, which he managed, to be used as a brothel on and before November 16.

The hotel's name cannot be published by court order.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian Tonika Veskova Ilieva, 25, and Ukrainian Tetyana Montach, 30, Olexandra Stepanenko, 26, and Olena Naumova, 24 were arraigned separately.

They pleaded guilty to prostitution charges and were given a four-month jail term suspended for a year. They will be deported.

Stepanenko took the witness stand in the compilation of evidence against Agius with urgency.

Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani Grima heard her explain that she arrived in Malta on September 1 and resided at the Sliema hotel during her stay.

After some time she ran out of money and decided to sleep with men for money in order to raise enough money to buy a flight back home.

She said she had slept with men against payment on about four occasions and did not charge a fixed rate. She had been paid between Lm8 and Lm20.

She said she kept all her earnings for herself and when asked if anyone sent clients to her she replied in the negative.

The case against Agius was put off to this afternoon. He was granted bail on condition that he does not leave his house without court permission and was bound by a Lm3,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of Lm10,000.

Police Inspector Louise Calleja prosecuted.

Dr Franco Debono appeared for the defendants.