A 36-year-old man was remanded in custody after he allegedly falsified a power of attorney mandate (prokura) on behalf of a patient at Mount Carmel Hospital and withdrew €21,575 from her bank accounts.

Jon Lawrence Formosa, a part-time deliveryman from Cospicua, allegedly managed to learn of the patient through a relative of hers. He subsequently falsified a document to claim power of attorney over the woman and withdrew the cash from three banks during July.

Mr Formosa faced fraud charges over the alleged crime, but he was also accused of stealing a TV set and various other objects from a Paola office. He was also charged with breaching bail conditions - as he allegedly carried out the theft after a court-imposed curfew.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against him. A bail request by legal aid lawyer Joseph Ellis was strongly opposed by prosecuting inspectors Spiridione Zammit and Hubert Cini,

Magistrate Miriam Hayman ultimately declared that it was too early to grant bail, but insisted that the prosecution should present its witnesses as soon as possible.