News • January 11 2004

List of jurors’ details leaked to lawyer

For some inexplicable reason none of the media has reported that Meinrad Calleja’s defence team verbally protested to Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano because a list of details of the jurors of the month were in Dr Tonio Azzopardi’s possession.
Dr Azzopardi is acting as legal counsel to Richard Cachia Caruana, the Prime Minister’s personal assistant, who narrowly escaped death in a brutal stabbing at Mdina in the mid-nineties. Meinrad Calleja is on trial by jury for allegedly ordering his assassination.
In a reaction to the defence team’s protestations, the Chief Justice replied that a list of jurors had not been provided to Dr Tonio Azzopardi.
The Chief Justice added that only the defence and the prosecution teams had the details. He confirmed that a team of lawyers not connected with the case had asked for a list, but their request had been turned down.
The Chief Justice’s answer led to an outburst by assistant Attorney General Dr Silvio Camilleri, acting for the prosecution, who did not take lightly to the reply that evidently insinuated that there had been a leak

It is known that two jurors selected have since been changed. One of the jurors left because of ill-health and the other was replaced because his brother holds an important civil service posting.
In the meantime, NET TV reported that the newspaper MaltaToday had breached a court ruling that had ordered a blackout on any comments on Meinrad Calleja. Last Sunday MaltaToday factually reported, without comment that Prof. Ian Refalo had filed an application with the European Court of Justice. The application refers to the re-appointment of Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano to preside over the trial by jury of Calleja, since the same judge had sentenced him in a drugs related case.