Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani ruled on Friday that there is enough evidence to indict two men involved in the leaking of tender information for an Information Technology system installation contract at Mater Dei Hospital.
In turn, the court also heard how
government employee and
member of the evaluation committee concerning the tenders
Noel Xuereb passed on information regarding the hospital’s
Integrated Health Information System (IHIS) tender to one of the bidders because he believed that was the best choice for the government.
Testifying in court, Police Inspector Joseph Cordina said that Noel Xuereb admitted passing on confidential information to Pierre Mercieca, a part-time employee a company tendering for the IT contract.
42-year-old Noel Xuereb from St. Julians is pleading not guilty to accepting bribes, embezzlement, taking a private interest in the adjudication of tenders and disclosing professional secrets when he served as a public officer.
47-year-old Pierre Mercieca from Attard is charged with bribing Mr Xuereb and with complicity.
At the end of the sitting Magistrate Padovani ruled there were sufficient reasons for the men to be indicted.
Police Inspectors Joseph Cordina and Ian Abdilla led the prosecution.
Lawyers Joseph Giglio, Emmanuel Mallia and Giannella Caruana Curran appeared for the accused.
