A former MP has said that he was fined €150 fine for not leaving a garbage bag exactly by the doorside.

Antoine Borg had initially written that the fine had been imposed because a tea bag (organic) had been disposed of in a black rubbish bag (non-organic).

 

But he later explained that following further clarification, the fine "could also be because the garbage bag was not exactly by the door side but 4 steps in front".

He was contacted by The Malta Independent after he made the original complaint on Facebook.

Early Tuesday morning, Borg said he was in his office when he looked outside his window to find two persons who were going through the black rubbish bag that he had left on the pavement.

“At that moment I was curious and kept looking at what they were doing”, he said.

One of the persons approached him and informed him that the rubbish was his since they had found a paper envelope with his address, together with a tea bag.

At this point Borg was asked to hand in his Identification Card and he was fined €150 right there and then.

When asked to comment on this, Borg said that he had nothing against people going through his rubbish or being fined, but found that the amount was, in his opinion too much.

“This means that even an uneducated elderly that might not be knowledgeable enough is going to endure a €150 fine from her pension?”

Borg said that he has no difficulty to let people go through his rubbish as he throws away stuff he doesn’t need any more in good faith.

“I don’t get a bag of drugs and throw them away and then worry because they are going through the garbage bag”.

The former MP said that he did not realise that the people who were going through his black rubbish bag were wardens from the local enforcement agency as they were dressed in normal everyday attire.

He went on to compare the magnitude of his fine to that of a person found guilty of using their phone whilst driving, which is €100, and said that despite them putting other lives in danger it is still less than being found guilty of putting a tea bag in a black rubbish bag.

"Anyway, watch out, (garbage) bags are being opened," he said.