A court yesterday heard how with the help of close circuit television camera (CCTV) footage the police were able to identify the men who had used four forged Lm10 notes to buy diesel from a Birkirkara pumping station. The men admitted using the notes but insisted

they did not know they were forged.

At a sitting in the case against three brothers – Noel, 22 from Iklin, Aaron Elvis, 26 from Birkirkara and Joseph Camilleri, 30 from San Gwann, accused of forging money and using the fake notes to buy diesel, prosecuting inspector Ina Abdilla explained how the police got involved.

“Anthony Falzon, owner of the Falzon Service Station in Birkirkara, called the police after he noticed two fake Lm10 in the automated petrol pump on 13 January this year,” said the inspector.

He explained that the notes had the same serial number, a number that was not recognised by the Central Bank. On 17 January, Mr Falzon found another two fake Lm10 notes and by means of the footage caught on the CCTV cameras, the police were able to take note of the drivers of three cars making the transactions in question. The cars were a silver Isuzu Gemini , a grey car of the same model and a red Golf. The cars belonged to the three accused.

Inspector Abdilla explained that the cameras were very close to the machine and one could almost see the serial number on the notes being fed into it. He said the notes also go into the machine in order and therefore one could calculate which notes were used in each transaction.

The three men were arrested on 21 January. When interrogated by police all three admitted they may have made the transactions in question but all claimed they had not known the notes were forged.

“None of the men knew where the notes had come from,” said the inspector.

At the end of the sitting, presiding magistrate Antonio Mizzi ruled sufficient prima facie evidence had been presented for a bill of indictment to be drawn up against the Camilleri brothers.