The Malta Red Cross Society has suspended one of its office employees after it was suspected that Red Cross funds had been misappropriated, Director General Paul Portelli said yesterday.

In a statement, the local branch of the society said the suspicion arose at the end of March and the person concerned was immediately suspended. The society took the necessary legal steps to protect its right to safeguard its chances of recovering the misappropriated funds by means of civil legal action.

The police were informed of the suspicions and investigations began to determine the extent of the misappropriation and how it happened. The internal investigation is still under way.

The Malta Red Cross Society said that all the necessary steps were being taken to avoid a similar cases happening again.