A former bowling champion, cleared of all criminal liability after 21 years of court proceedings over her alleged involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy, has turned upon the authorities to shoulder responsibility for the damages she suffered through the “malicious prosecution”.

Sue Abela, seven-times Sportswoman of the Year and recipient of the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika honour in 1999, is claiming that such prosecution did not only spell humiliation and unjust treatment but also amounted to a breach of her fundamental rights. 

Her ordeal started in 2002 when she was charged alongside 18 others over alleged involvement in a conspiracy to deal in four kilos of cocaine and one kilo of cannabis in Malta and Italy. 

Abela protested her innocence right from the start, rebutting the allegations made against her by the Drug Squad.

But criminal proceedings dragged on and after she was acquitted by the Magistrates’ Court, the Attorney General appealed. 

The final judgment confirming Abela’s acquittal was handed down last September by the Court of Criminal Appeal. 

The former sports champion has now filed a judicial letter before the First Hall, Civil Court claiming that she had suffered unjust treatment at the police headquarters. 

She said she had gone through a hard time because of the criminal case and suffered humiliation also because she was a well-known public figure owing to her participation in sports at a national level. 

She had previously won the title of Sportswoman of the Year seven times over and, in 1999, was honoured with the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika award. 

Abela was “uselessly” charged along with the other suspects, being targeted through “malicious prosecution”, her lawyers are claiming. 

Moreover, the fact that criminal proceedings dragged on for 21 years, through no fault of hers, meant that Abela suffered a breach of fundamental rights through such excessive delays. 

She was now calling upon the Police Commissioner, the State Advocate and the Attorney General to shoulder responsibility and step forward to settle damages. 

Unless they did so, Abela would resort to further legal action to safeguard her rights. 

Lawyer Edward Gatt signed the judicial letter.