Bail given to four of 19 on drug conspiracy charges

Four of the 19 people charged with drug conspiracy were yesterday granted bail against accumulative deposits and personal guarantees ranging from Lm15,000 to Lm27,000.

In four separate, detailed, court rulings Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera upheld the bail requests filed by Mario Camilleri known as l-Imniehru, Emmanuel Camilleri, David Victor Bonnici and Alfred Bugeja known as il-Porporina.

The rulings referred to an administrative delay through which the proceedings had been slowed down. The court, the magistrate said, could not accept that an administrative error would interfere in the order of the proceedings or be of prejudice to a defendant.

She noted how, in a ruling handed down on May 19, the court had ordered that documents be sent to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to be sent to Italy. But this had not been done. The defence, the prosecution and the court were not informed that the documents remained in the office of the Attorney General.

Had the documents been sent when they were supposed to they would have already arrived back in Malta and the court proceedings would be approaching an end. But this was not the case.

In evaluating each bail request separately Magistrate Scerri Herrera noted that Bonnici had been previously granted bail but had been re-arrested for breaching bail conditions.

A second bail request was turned down but this time the court felt that matters were different as, due to the administrative mistake, he had been in jail for five months.

The law, she noted, laid down that one had a right that one's case he heard within reasonable time or else be granted bail during pending proceedings.

In this case the proceedings had been delayed beyond a reasonable time.

She granted Bonnici bail on the condition he does not leave his home without court permission and against a Lm5,000 deposit and personal guarantee of Lm10,000.

In light of the delay caused by the administrative error Emmanuel Camilleri was granted bail on the same conditions as Bonnici.

Bugeja was granted bail on the condition he attends a drug rehabilitation programme and against a personal guarantee of Lm15,000.

In the case of Mario Camilleri the magistrate noted the serious nature of the crimes he was charged with.

She granted him bail on the condition he does not leave his home and bound him by a Lm12,000 deposit and personal guarantee of Lm15,000.

All four men were warned not to approach any of the prosecution's witnesses.

The case continues.