Public Health Superintendent Charmaine Gauci had issued a circular to all medical professionals telling them to stop providing anti-depressants to a man now facing extradition proceedings to the United States, a court was told on Monday.
Daniel Joe Meli, a 28-year-old check-in agent, is being sought by US authorities for his alleged illegal dealings on the dark web between December 2012 and June 2022.
Gianluca Bezzina, a medical doctor who specialises in addictions, explained before Magistrate Leonard Caruana how he worked with Meli when he was admitted to Seqda for drug treatment.
At the time Meli was taking heroin, and cannabis, and was highly dependent on anti-depressants. His addiction developed after he started suffering from anxiety.
The doctor recounted how the addiction to anti-depressants was so bad that the Public Health Superintendent stepped in and issued a circular to all medical professionals to not provide anti-depressants to Meli.
“This was done to ensure the problem does not get worse,” he explained.
Another witness, prison doctor Chris Cremona said Meli suffered from various conditions, including substance abuse, arthritis and a slipped disc.
When the prosecution asked if Meli’s conditions could worsen if he was extradited to Georgia in the US, Cremona said some of Meli’s conditions were unpredictable and Meli would need to be assisted by a nurse for treatment. His anxiety and mental health problems could be aggravated as he is away from his family and other relatives.
Meli had originally agreed to be extradited to the US but later retracted his consent. His lawyers argued that the magistrates’ court had not verified whether he was medically fit and capable of understanding his decision.
An appeal against Meli's extradition was dismissed but the law was later changed, allowing a wanted person “adequate time” to decide on extradition requests. The case then went back before the courts.
Superintendent Mario Cushieri and Inspector Robinson Mifsud are leading the prosecution.
Lawyers Franco Debono and Arthur Azzopardi are representing Meli.