There is no doubt that the news this week was dominated by the verdict in the case of Noel Arrigo, the ex-Chief Justice who has been found guilty on multiple counts of receiving a bribe to shorten the jail term of a drug trafficker, attempting to influence another judge to reduce the sentence and also of revealing official secrets.
Several things bothered me about this case. The first was the fact that I cannot for the life of me understand how someone felt comfortable approaching a Chief Justice in order to offer a bribe. How on earth is this possible? I know that some people go through life trying to pay their way out of trouble, but surely there should be no-go areas, and trying to bribe a Chief Judge should be one of them!
Unpleasant though this may be, the likelihood is that these shenanigans had been going on for quite a while. One does not go from being a saint to somebody who accepts bribes from drug pushers in one fell swoop. Such situations usually grow slowly over time. First, one starts off by acting too friendly with certain people, then one discloses an official secret or two in order to show off, then a hint here, a hint there, and finally the bribes start rolling in.
Arrigo was clearly not very choosy when it came to friends. Anthony Grech Sant was not the first member of his St Edward’s College posse who came to him for help. Remember the case of Godfrey Ellul? He was a buddy of Arrigo’s – so much so that when he was caught importing cocaine, Arrigo vouched for him in court. According to him, there was no way that Ellul knew that the package he was carrying contained cocaine. Ellul got off scot-free that time – however it did not take long for him to be caught with drugs once more. In 2007, he was found guilty of trafficking in cocaine and cannabis resin and was sent to prison for 18 years. I imagine that he is now eagerly anticipating a reunion with his best friend the ex-Chief Judge.
At this point, the public is left wondering how many character references Arrigo has given over the years. Are there any other mates of his who escaped justice because he assured the Magistrate or Judge in charge of the case that his friend was a paragon of virtue? In fact it does not stop there – a shadow has been cast over all the verdicts and sentences handed down by Noel Arrigo when he was a judge. Every single one is open to scrutiny.
I have to hand it to Arrigo – he definitely knows how to play to an audience. He tried every single trick in the book to try and gain brownie points. Who gives a rat’s behind how many times and to how many priests Arrigo confessed his sins? If his deeds were so nefarious that it has taken three confessions with three different pastors to expunge them, then what else has he been up to that we have not heard about yet?
It did not stop there. Apparently he is so keen to make up with his maker that he decided to follow a Theology course at the University of Malta. I ran a quick search in Google and there it was – in 2006 Noel Arrigo was awarded a Diploma in Religious Studies. Once again: what can I say? Why on earth was this diploma mentioned during the testimony in court? It has no bearing on the case whatsoever, except as a not-so-subtle hint that Arrigo has seen the light.
The more I read about Arrigo’s piety the more nauseous I got! The final straw was hearing that when he testified he made a show of wearing a rosary ring on the small finger of his left hand. I guess that we should count ourselves fortunate that he did not choose to rip off his shirt to expose a tight bloody cilice (vest made out of coarse animal hair, commonly known as a hairshirt) worn as a sign of repentance and atonement. Now that would have caused some excitement in the courtroom!
I am sure that Noel Arrigo is sorry that he has landed himself in this mess. There can be no doubt that he regrets the fact that that he did not throw that envelope of money back in his ‘friend’s’ face when he had a chance to do so. If he could, he would definitely rewrite history. However, is that because he has suddenly formed a close relationship with his maker, or is it because he is now being held to account for his actions? Somehow, I wonder.
The sad thing is that Arrigo is not the only one who is going to suffer the consequences of his actions. His family must be going through hell too. In addition, this sordid tale has cast a shadow on the whole judiciary, including the many upstanding men and women who have performed their duty as Judges and Magistrates in an impeccable manner.
His actions made a mockery of the role he held and the reverberations of his behaviour will be felt for many years to come.
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