Former Sliema mayor Nicholas ‘Nikki’ Dimech has been placed under general perpetual interdiction by the Criminal Court of Appeal following his conviction for corruption and money laundering, while his warrant to practise as an auditor remains listed on the Accountancy Board’s official register.
A notice published in the Government Gazette confirms that Judge Natasha Galea Sciberras ordered Dimech’s general perpetual interdiction with effect from 31 July 2026, the date of the judgment that overturned his previous acquittal.
The notice, issued by the Registry of the Courts of Criminal Judicature, states that the court ordered Dimech’s “general perpetual interdiction” in terms of Article 119 of the Criminal Code.
Its publication, required under Article 10(7) of the Criminal Code, puts beyond doubt that the lifetime interdiction forms part of the sentence handed down by the Court of Criminal Appeal last month.
Yet, so far, Dimech continues to appear on the Accountancy Board’s official register as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and as a holder of a practising certificate in auditing, raising further questions about whether the profession’s regulator intends to take action against him.
Earlier this month, The Shift reported that Dimech’s warrant remained in effect despite his conviction, even though Maltese law requires warrant holders to meet requirements regarding good conduct and repute.
The Accountancy Board, chaired by Edgar Borg, is responsible for regulating the profession and has powers to institute disciplinary proceedings and suspend or withdraw warrants and practising certificates.
The latest publication of Dimech’s perpetual interdiction adds another dimension to questions surrounding his continued presence on the official register.
Sources close to the Accountancy Board said that procedures are currently ongoing.
The Court of Criminal Appeal convicted Dimech after partially overturning a 2023 judgment that had acquitted him of charges connected to his time as PN mayor of Sliema.
The case centred on payments involving council contractor Joseph Vella of Velljo Services.
Apart from the perpetual interdiction, Dimech was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for four years, fined €35,000 and ordered to forfeit €24,482.
The controversy surrounding Dimech and his professional warrant stretches back more than a decade.
In 2012, following an earlier conviction, Dimech was also subjected to a lifetime interdiction. At the time, the Accountancy Board was reported to be awaiting the outcome of his appeal before deciding whether he should be struck off its register and have his warrant withdrawn.
That conviction was subsequently caught up in lengthy legal proceedings, eventually leading to the 2023 acquittal and the prosecution’s successful appeal last month.
The latest Court of Appeal judgment has now resulted in a fresh perpetual interdiction taking effect from 31 July.
Dimech’s conviction also vindicates the Nationalist Party’s rapid decision to remove him from its ranks in 2010, when he was dismissed as Sliema mayor and expelled from the party amid the corruption allegations that ultimately led to the proceedings against him.
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The Accountancy Board even ignore Court of Criminal Appeal final judgements, let alone reliable adverse information on members that are not yet convicted, the type of Tonna and Cini. Accountancy Board only excels in sending e-mails every 31st December for CPE Returns and the annual fee. Punto e basta.
Their warrants were ‘temporarily’ suspended in 2020 but the registers currently only show Tonna’s suspension. Which would mean either that Cini had his suspension rescinded, or the Accountancy Board is not even capable of maintaining proper registers. May I add that other accountants facing allegations of fraud and misappropriation of funds, two cases of which hit the headlines, are still warranted accountants and/or auditors. One more accountant was even convicted of fraudulently signing and cashing cheques and yet, he still holds a warrant and lectures students. Even disgraced former Commissioner John Dalli, who brought disrepute to Malta, let alone the accountancy profession,had remained listed on the register as a warrant holder for several years after his snus debacle, only to quietly disappear from the list at a much later point in time. This all makes you wonder whether the dog is even in the garden in the first place, let alone barking!
The Accountancy Board will remain known as the dog that did not bark, or at best, the dog that barked only after the intruders got away. And this is not the only instance.
There is little point in having a professional watchdog if it is paralysed by the fear of legal action and lawsuits. While the presumption of innocence is sacrosanct, so too is the duty of a professional oversight body to act, when necessary, to uphold standards, protect the public interest, and safeguard the reputation and integrity of the profession.
A regulator does not have to prejudge guilt in order to investigate, intervene, or take appropriate action. Indeed, the failure to act until the damage is done risks undermining the very purpose for which such a watchdog exists.
Bravo!
Malta; where accountability went to die!
I think that now he can qualify as a forensic accountant