Next month, a court is to decide on a request for a variation of a freezing order issued on former Progress Press Chairman Vincent Buhagiar.

Buhagiar stands accused of money laundering after allegedly receiving hundreds of thousands of euros under a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with disgraced former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri. Schembri is charged separately with corruption and money laundering, as well as other offences.

The case against Buhagiar and that against Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna, Karl Cini and Nexia employee Katrin Bondin Carter continued on Tuesday before Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech.

Buhagiar’s lawyers, Veronique Dalli and Dean Hili asked the court to vary the conditions of the freezing order on the former Chairman. The court said it would hear arguments on the request in the next sitting.

Auditor Stephen Galea was summoned to the witness stand, telling the court that he had worked with the accused, Brian Tonna in particular, for many years. Galea had carried out some audits of their companies.

These were sensitive audits in which it was felt that using a third-party auditor would be more fitting. Galea exhibited several invoices to him totalling €57,000 over a 4 year period which were paid mainly by cheques except for €5,000 which was paid in cash. All payments were covered by tax invoices.

A court-appointed IT expert presented the court with a copy of a report he had compiled on data extracted from mobile phones and electronic devices seized from various people with ties to Progress Press.

Later on in the sitting, prosecuting lawyer Antoine Agius from the Office of the Attorney General told the court that the prosecution was close to summoning its last witnesses.