Jon Lawrence Formosa, 25 from Cospicua was pulled into this mess when Floyd Attard found a cheque book in Corradino and went on to buy a Lm210 mobile with one of the cheques. Mr Attard said this when he testified in the proceedings against Mr Formosa who was being accused of forging a cheque belonging to Rayair Automation Ltd, defrauding this company, Bank of Valletta and Go Mobile.

Mr Attard said a man named Pierre Parnis filled the cheque in because he was illiterate.

Mr Formosa drove Mr Attard to the mobile phone shop and asked both Mr Attard and Mr Parnis for Lm2 for petrol.

They did not give him the money, but asked for his sim card to insert the Lm15 credit they got free when they bought the mobile phone.

The accused was acquitted of all the charges pressed against him since he did not know the cheque was stolen and was not even present when it was filled in.

Mr Formosa did not buy the mobile phone in question nor did he forge the cheque with which it was bought. The other two men did not even tell him why they wanted to use his sim card. He made no money off this venture and was therefore cleared of any crime.

Inspector Bernard Zarb prosecuted while Dr Joseph Giglio appeared for Mr Formosa. Magistrate Lawrence Quintano presided over the court.