Consumer Affairs inspector cleared of forgery on appeal after handwriting mismatch

The Court of Criminal Appeal has overturned a Consumer Affairs inspector's 2011 forgery conviction, after it emerged that there was a possibility that he had been set up.

Consumer Affairs Department Inspector Alexander Zammit had been perpetually interdicted and handed a suspended sentence after he was found guilty of falsifying the signatures of retailers whose shops he had inspected as part of a price verification exercise.

Zammit had subsequently filed an appeal, arguing that his salary was not dependent on or related to the amount of inspections he carried out and that therefore he had no interest in falsifying the signatures.

Judge David Scicluna, presiding the Court of Criminal Appeal, had heard calligraphy experts report that while the same hand had clearly made the signatures, it was not that of the accused.

Another individual is expected to be charged in connection with the forgery in the coming days.

Lawyers Michael Tanti Dougall and Mario Calleja assisted the accused.