A retired Customs officer allowed a Libyan man to enter a restricted area at the Malta International Airport in return for a box of drink powder, a court heard today.

Philip Grech, 61, from Zebbug, stands charged with having accepted bribes from Libyan to allow him access to a restricted area of the airport cargo section in 2013.

Inspector Jonathan Ferris, prosecuting, told Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech how on 25 September 2013 he was informed that a Libyan man had been granted access to the area housing the luggage conveyor belts.

CCTV footage showed Jamal Mesdah Basher Al Gazale entering the area unchallenged and pick up a number of boxes from the conveyor belt. The boxes contained tins of what was described as a “very sweet drink powder” used by Muslims during Ramadan.

Inspector Ferris said the door to the customs area can only be opened from the inside by means of a sensor. He said Mr Al Gazale was told by a person who had accompanied the cargo that he had to enter the customs are to retrieve the packages. The Libyan man said he had phoned Mr Grech, whom he knew, and the latter said he would let him in. CCTV footage showed that a customs official actually helped Mr Al Gazale push the trolley once it was loaded.

There were 12 boxes on the conveyor belt but the Libyan left with only 11. The missing box was later found at the desk which, at the time was occupied by Mr Grech.

The Inspector said Mr Grech had told him he accepted the box as a sign of courtesy but he told the court that public officials are prohibited from accepting gifts in the course of their duties.

Cross examined by lawyer Stefano Filletti, who is appearing for Mr Grech, the inspector said the the accused had made the ‘courtesy’ remark informally but admitted that he did not have it in writing.

Dr Filletti then asked about access to the restricted area. Inspector Ferris explained that from what he had been told by the customs officials to whom he had spoken, this was not normally permitted.

The person accompanying the boxes had met Al Gazale at the arrivals hall and had told him to go in to the cargo and so the accused was contacted and allegedly asked for two boxes to be left behind, in return.

The Inspector said the Libyan had denied receiving any form of payment from the accused. He said Al Gazale had taken two boxes to Mr Grech’s desk. Contrary to normal procedure, no receipt was given for the items withheld, and the box had been opened. The normal procedure for sampling was not followed in this case. The prosecution could not confirm whether the two other eyewitnesses had been questioned.

Dr Filletti asked whether the police had checked what the value of the drinks was, pointing out that they were cheap products. The Inspector said he had not, but insisted that the price was irrelevant to the case.

The lawyer also pointed out that Mr Grech had not taken the box home but had left it at the desk for a week. “If a person, knowing he committed a crime, accepted bribes, would he then leave the proceeds lying around in plain sight?”

Dr Filletti also asked whether the box could have been left behind by mistake and the accused had simply picked it up and placed it on the official’s desk. He insisted that the prosecution did not have concrete evidence to prove the charges.

At the request of the prosecution, the court appointed a technical expert to extract stills from the CCTV footage, which will be exhibited during the next sitting. The case continues in March.