Video from inside court published by NET News was unquestionably shot by Jason Azzopardi, a Court Services Agency lawyer argued on Wednesday.
Lawyer Alfred Abela compared the short video clip published by NET to CCTV footage of the incident. He argued that the two clips matched perfectly as he walked the court through different freeze-frame images from the CCTV footage.
Azzopardi’s lawyer argued that Abela was relying on a limited number of still images that did not paint a full picture of the incident and had failed to prove that Azzopardi was responsible for the clip.
The case revolves around a video showing Prime Minister Robert Abela and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard having a conversation inside the corridors of the Valletta law courts building on December 2.
Filming inside the law courts is prohibited without the authorisation of the courts’ director-general or chief justice.
Court Servies Agency CEO Eunice Grech Fiorini testified in December that she had shown the video to the chief justice and after seeking legal advice, filed a criminal complaint.
Azzopardi, a lawyer and former MP, was subsequently ordered to court to face charges of unauthorised filming inside the court building.
On Wednesday, court agency lawyer Alfred Abela argued that the CCTV footage proves that Azzopardi was the one filming on that day.
He noted that elements present in NET news footage could also be seen in the CCTV footage, exactly when Azzopardi walked past the prime minister and Attard.
“Those elements were only present for two or three seconds,” Abela argued, and the only person who walked past at that time was Azzopardi.
He noted a particular gesture made by Justice Minister Jonathan Attard, which could be seen on both clips at the same time.
Azzopardi’s defence lawyer shed doubt on the prosecution’s arguments by asking how it was possible to be sure that Azzopardi was the one filming.
The defence argued that the prosecution did not prove whether Azzopardi’s phone was working or that it was him, not someone else, who was recording at the time.
Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi further argued that the prosecution was relying on a limited number of stills from the CCTV footage that did not show the full picture.
The Court Services Agency was also represented by lawyer Rene Darmanin. Magistrate Monica Vella is presiding.
The case continues.