Former PL secretary general Jimmy Magro handed prison sentence over corruption charges

Updated with more details on the case at 2:30pm

Former Labour Party secretary general Jimmy Magro has been handed a prison sentence of four years and eight months after being found guilty of charges related to corruption and trading in influence.

The verdict was delivered in court on Wednesday, capping off a case that had lingered for nearly a decade.

Magro’s legal team has already indicated plans to appeal, meaning his sentence will remain suspended until a final decision is reached by the appeals court.

The case against Magro dates back to 2014, when Magro was serving as special consultant to the Local Councils Association.

He was accused of requesting a €25,000 bribe from a private company in return for helping secure a €250,000 government contract for waste collection machinery.

However, the deal never went through. The prospective contractor declined the alleged offer and proceeded to file formal complaints, including one made directly to then-prime minister Joseph Muscat.

The bidder testified that Muscat angrily told him “Don't come to me with these things” and crumpled up a printed email the bidder had handed him.

The matter was later taken up by the Permanent Commission Against Corruption, which in 2018 said it was “morally convinced” that Magro had solicited the bribe.

According to court testimony, the bribery attempt was not an isolated conversation but part of a longer exchange over several weeks, during which Magro assured the bidder that he had strong political connections capable of influencing the outcome.

Magro was assigned as the project leader for the tendering process and was a member of the adjudicating board. Investigations uncovered emails in which he requested a meeting with Victor Bonello – the bidder who later filed a criminal complaint against him – to discuss the “commercial interests” in the project. Additionally, Magro provided Bonello with the contact information of another bidder. Despite this conclusion, criminal charges were only brought against Magro two years later.

The case was prosecuted by Police Inspector Wayne Rodney Borg.

Magro was represented by lawyers Michael Sciriha and Roberto Spiteri.

Apart from sentencing him to four years and eight months in prison, the court also imposed a lifelong ban on Magro, preventing him from holding any public office or position of employment.

The case was prosecuted by Police Inspector Wayne Rodney Borg. Magro was represented by lawyers Michael Sciriha and Roberto Spiteri.

The bidder who filed the criminal complaint was represented by lawyer Jason Azzopardi.