One of the experts who formed part of the Vitals inquiry has been accused of using his position as a court expert to "sell" his advisory services to the Malta Police Force to the tune of close to a million Euros.
The allegation was made in a judicial letter filed by the defence team of former Permanent Secretary Alfred Camilleri, who is one of the accused in the Vitals case. Camilleri is pleading not guilty to the charges that had been brought against him.
Camilleri's team alleged that while the expert, Sam Sittlington, was carrying out his engagement in the Vitals inquiry, Sittlington attempted to sell his advisory services to the Malta Police Force.
The team alleged that the expert attempted to use his privileged position in the inquiry to sell his expertise to the Malta Police Force. The defence team said that this was a clear conflict of interest.
They allege that the expert attempted to use information that should have remained confidential within the acts of the inquiry for personal commercial gain.
The defence team also drew parallels with another investigation Sittlington was involved in back in 2018, saying that the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain contracted him to assist the Special Organised Crime Unit of the Republic of Guyana Police Force.
The defence team alleged that while the expert was assisting the Special Organised Crime Unit of the Republic of Guyana Police Force, he created a private fraud investigation company in the Republic of Guyana and alleged that he used his privileged access to sensitive and confidential information that was obtained whilst assisting SOCU and the Government of the Republic of Guyana to further his private commercial interests. The defence team said that when the facts were exposed, the Government of Great Britain terminated his contract.
Camilleri's lawyers allege that Sittlington tried to repeat the situation here.
"Whilst billing for your work on the inquiry you wanted to significantly increase your profits by commercialising the sensitive and confidential information you came to know of in the inquiry just as you did in Guyana. However, your attempted in Malta did not come to fruition," Camilleri's lawyers said.
The lawyers argue that this tainted the expert's contribution to the report which eventually led to the criminal prosecution of Camilleri.
The defence team said that Camilleri is holding Sittlington directly and personally responsible for any and all damages caused to him as a result of his contribution in the report.