Gov. Ned Lamont will not have to take the stand at his former budget deputy’s bribery trial after all.

On Tuesday afternoon, a judge ruled that Lamont’s testimony is not relevant to the charges against Kosta Diamantis, who is accused of accepting money for multimillion dollar school construction contracts.

“Why he’s a bully is irrelevant,” Judge Stefan Underhill said. “In my view … the source of the aggressive behavior doesn’t matter.”

Diamantis’ attorney, Norm Pattis, has argued that Lamont pressured him to get school construction jobs “on time and under budget.”

“He wasn’t aggressive for the sake of shaking people down. He was doing the governor's bidding. I think that's relevant,” Pattis told reporters. “Mr. Diamantis was brought in to upset the apple cart – to get an inefficient project, and set of projects, under control, including the city of Hartford.”

Lamont has insisted that he knew of no wrongdoing until federal agents served a subpoena on his office in 2021.

“As soon as we got some wind that something may not be right, we changed the actors there. But I’ve got to do everything I can to make sure something like this can never happen again.”

Lamont's office released a statement saying, "This result reinforces that the Governor had no involvement in the underlying criminal allegations and no personal knowledge that would be relevant to the case.”

Before Tuesday’s ruling, Sal Monarca told jurors about an unusual meeting inside a restaurant bathroom.

That’s where he allegedly handed Diamantis an envelope full of cash. Monarca told jurors it was a bribe in exchange for a $3 million masonry contract at Weaver High School in Hartford. Jurors also re-heard a voice mail where Diamantis allegedly shook down Monarca's company for $40,000.

“I didn't ask for the maximum – I asked for the minimum – of what we bid,” the voicemail said. “So that’s more that reasonable. Even less than that; I asked for 40.”

Monarca said he delivered another bribe hidden under a newspaper at Dunkin Donuts near the state Capitol, and twice to Diamantis’ house.

“What does it mean to ‘see him?’” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Francis asked Monarca.

He replied: “Pay him.”

Jurors also heard from FBI special agent Eric Wethje, who interviewed Diamantis in late 2023.

The school construction chief said that Monarca and Roy were “full of s**t,” Wethje testified.

The agent then went over bank records showing that Monarca’s company withdrew $14,000 in cash in August and September of 2018. During that same period, Diamantis deposited $9,600 in cash into his accounts.

Pattis pressed Wethje on the discrepancy. The agent said it was hard keeping track of the “voluminous” amount of cash flowing into Diamantis' account.

“There was a lot of cash deposits into this bank account,” Wethje said.

The agent said he believes the deposits were bribes from contractors.

“But you can’t prove it, can you?” Pattis shot back.

Pattis claimed he client was also doing legal work at the time – but Wethje said Diamantis' accountant had no record of that.

The government has three more witnesses and plans to rest its case on Wednesday afternoon.

Next on the stand will be another FBI agent and Hartford city engineer Frank Dellaripa, who Diamantis referred to in text messages as “my guy” on the Hartford School Building Committee, which awarded several of the projects in question.

Dellaripa has not been charged.

Diamantis will testify on Thursday right after his daughter, Anastasia. Another contractor, Antonietta Roy of Construction Advocacy Professionals, said she hired Diamantis’ daughter to “keep him happy.”

Roy also testified that she bribed Diamantis for work. Roy, Monarca and his former vice president, John Duffy, all pleaded guilty to bribing Diamantis.

“When the time comes, I will provide you with a statement,” Diamantis told reporters last week. “You will probably hear my testimony – when the time comes.”

Pattis also plans to call D’Amato Construction, who was the general contractor on Birch Grove Primary School in Tolland. School superintendent Dr. Walter Willett testified last week that Diamantis told him to “just get out of the way” and hire Roy.

Pattis said testimony could conclude as early as Monday afternoon.