A construction worker was remanded in custody on Thursday on charges of attempted theft of cigarettes from a warehouse.
Joseph Saliba, 25, of Mqabba, pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to break into a warehouse on Triq Ħal Main, Qrendi.
The alleged incident occurred on May 13 at around 2.30am.
Prosecuting inspector Joseph Mercieca objected to bail saying this case was linked to a much broader investigation into cigarette theft including from Customs.
Mercieca added that one of the main witnesses has a commercial relationship with the accused.
This promoted lengthy and at times theatrical submissions from defence lawyer Mario Mifsud.
“When I was young, I wasn’t good at school and if were to write an essay I would write really big to fill up space on the page,” the lawyer said, holding up the charge sheet and pointing to it.
“And if you were to squeeze this here, you wouldn’t get much juice,” he said.
The inspector rebutted, saying this investigation formed part of a much larger probe into the theft of large amounts of cigarettes.
The accused was caught during surveillance on a particular vehicle and this was a serious matter, the inspector added. The accused was driving the getaway car. He also had a crowbar in his hand in the footage.
The accused had also identified a third party involved in the matter to the police during interrogation.
The defence lawyer invited the prosecution to spend a week in prison without bail if they were so willing to dish it out.
“At home, I sleep without a fan to get used to mosquitos just in case I ever end up having to sleep in prison. But I invite you to do the same and see if you like it,” the lawyer said.
“My client cooperated and he exposed those involved,” he said, raising his voice.
At this point, the magistrate encouraged the lawyer to lower his voice and calm down.
Sniggers could even be heard from other lawyers gathered in the courtroom.
“This is my style,” the lawyer said.
After considering the facts of the case, presiding magistrate Lara Lanfranco denied bail.