The man is yet another link in the prostitution ring uncovered recently. He was also guilty of living off the profits of prostitution, organising a brothel and owning premises used for the purposes of prostitution.

The man, whose name cannot be published due to a court order, had originally denied the charges made against him late last month. He had been charged together with another four people who pleaded guilty to the same offences. At the end of the first sitting of the compilation of evidence in the case against the former soldier, his defence attorney told the court that he had decided to plead guilty.

A witness testifying in the case narrowly escaped being charged with perjury yesterday. He only confirmed the accused’s involvement in the human trafficking after being pressed by presiding magistrate Saviour Demicoli.

The man had admitted being involved in the prostitution ring himself but initially resisted saying that the accused had also a hand in it. The witness owns a hotel where Russian women used to provide sexual services.

After a tedious and hesitant testimony, the magistrate gave the man some time to review what he had said and make any amendments necessary. The man refused to say that he knew the accused and that he had picked up two Russian women from his house.

The man’s initial testimony was full of ifs, buts and maybes. He said he knew the accused but did not remember when or where they had met. He said he did not know whether the former soldier was connected to the Russian women he had working in his hotel.

After being pressed by the magistrate, the hotel owner admitted he had picked up two Russian women from the accused’s house and had taken back to his hotel for prostitution. Previously the man had said he did not even know where the accused lived. He consulted with his lawyer before answering the pivotal question and was unsure of what to say.

“You know the accused and you know of his involvement in this case – I have witnesses,” magistrate Demicoli told the man before he decided to cooperate. The magistrate warned him he had the power to remand him in custody and charge him with perjury if he refused to answer the question truthfully, especially considering another magistrate had registered that he was a cooperative witness.

One of the Russian women had testified that the witness had collected her and another woman from the accused’s house. The woman had also said that the hotel owner had taken her passport and airline ticket. Until the very end of the sitting, the man insisted that this was not true. A former police officer, who also admitted bringing Russian women to Malta to force them into prostitution, also took the stand at yesterday’s sitting. He said he used to send money to a woman in Russia who, in turn, used to send him women. Most of the women came here with the intention of marrying a Maltese man, he said, while others came specifically to give sexual service.

The former policeman, who resigned from the force after this case was uncovered, told the court that two particular women he was keeping had told him they wanted to work for the accused. “I released them after they had paid their debts,” he said. The “debts” the women had incurred included such things as flight tickets. After the two witnesses were heard, the former soldier chose to admit all the charges against him and said he would be ready to cooperate.

The magistrate ruled that sufficient evidence had been presented to draw up a bill of indictment against the accused, who is currently being held under house arrest.

Inspectors Louise Calleja and Raymond Aquilina prosecuted while Dr Roberto Montalto appeared for the accused.