Nikki Dimech bribery sentence ‘null and void’, former mayor gets retrial

Former Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech will go on retrial on a charge of bribery, after a Court of Appeal declared that his one-year sentence in prison was “null and void”.

Dimech was represented by a new legal team for his appeal, led by Edward Gatt and Mark Vassallo.

In the original sentence, Dimech was not found not guilty of threatening Police Inspector Angelo Gafà.

He had been accused of demanding a bribe for the salary negotiated with the council’s former contracts manager Stephen Buhagiar.

Buhagiar, 43 of Swieqi, claimed Dimech solicited him for bribes of 5-10% on the value of his contract. Buhagiar, a former driver of Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo – himself having been close to Nikki Dimech during his time on the committee of Sliema Wanderers FC.

Buhagiar had claimed he was sacked from his job by Dimech after refusing to pay up. Buhagiar’s contract had been terminated by eight votes to one in the Sliema council. Later he alleged to PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier, minister Chris Said and local councils director-general Martin Bugelli that his contract was terminated for refusing to kick back payments to Dimech.

The one-year sentence was handed down by Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit.

At the time, the Nationalist Party had said it was “proved right” after sacking Dimech from the party, and accused Labour of giving his refuge by according him airtime on Labour TV One.

On his part, Dimech has claimed in a separate court case that former PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier had instructed to award a waste recycling contract for the Sliema council to Green MT, a firm owned by small business chamber GRTU, rather than GreenPak.