Former Sliema mayor Nicholas Dimech found not guilty of bribery

Former Sliema Mayor Nicholas Dimech has been found not guilty on charges of bribery by a Magistrate’s Court

In May 2015, a Court of Appeal declared that Dimech’s one-year sentence in prison was null and void; and order a re-trial of the case. The one-year sentence was initially handed down by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit.

Dimech was accused of demanding a bribe for the salary negotiated with the council’s former contracts manager Stephen Buhagiar, which Buhagiar claimed was 5-10% on the value of his contract.

Buhagiar, is a former driver of PN Deputy Leader Robert Arrigo – himself having a close relationship with Dimech during their time on the committee of Sliema Wanderers FC.

Buhagiar contacted the police after his contract was terminated by eights votes to one within the local council, claiming that he was sacked for refusing to pay the bribe. The PN would later sack Dimech from the party.

His testimony was questioned by the court, which was presided over by Magistrate Joe Mifsud. His initial contract had been approved by the council in September 2009 with six votes in favour and three abstentions and had only been removed in March 2010 after councillors expressed their dissatisfaction with his service.

Pointing to witness testimonies from councillors which claimed that Buhagiar that specifically said that he “wants to get [Dimech] back” and that “[they] will regret it”, the court found that, “Buhagiar was aggravated and angry by the decision [to terminate the contract]” and thusly his claims could not be verified, given that they were the crux to the entire case due to the lack of evidence.

In August 2017, a court also cleared former Sliema PN councillor Patrick Pace, who was charged with accepting bribes from Dimech to influence a vote in the council.

In a separate case, Dimech had claimed that he had been called by former PN Secretary General Paul Borg Olivier back in 2010 over a waste tender, allegedly urging the mayor to award to contract to a specific company.