Former Marsxlokk parish priest Luke Seguna has asked for permission to be able to visit the village, saying it lies "close to his heart". 

Seguna is facing charges of fraud, misappropriation and money laundering, with prosecutors claiming he swindled some 150 of his parishioners out of around €500,000 over a 10-year span. 

He is denying the charges. 

A court had granted him bail subject to a series of conditions, including a requirement that he stay away from the locality.

But on Friday, his lawyers asked the court to strike that imposition. 

The prosecution objected to that request, saying the whole case centred around Marsaxlokk and more parishioners were likely to be summoned as witnesses.

“So if the prosecution intends to summon 500 parishioners, are we to wait for all those to testify?” asked defence lawyer Josè Herrera. 

Asked by the court whether there was any particular reason why the priest wished to visit Marsaxlokk, his lawyers said that there was none. 

“It’s simply because Marsaxlokk lies close to his heart... that’s where he spent a substantial part of his life,” explained his lawyers.

Seguna’s lawyers also asked the magistrate for guidance in dealing with local banks, which they said were blocking all payments to their client’s bank account since a freezing order came into effect. 

Under the terms of a freezing order - a normal measure in money laundering cases – the accused is entitled to an annual statutory allowance of €13,976.24, to be withdrawn from his bank funds. 

But a court heard on Friday that payments of Seguna’s priestly salary, issued by the Malta Archdiocese, could not be deposited in his account because they were being blocked by the bank. 

Seated at the dock, Seguna confirmed that since last August, no payments had been deposited into his account, whether from the Archdiocese or any other source, because those payments were being blocked.

“He has not received one cent,” stressed his lawyer, Matthew Xuereb, pointing out that the priest lived with his parents who were always present at court hearings. 

Similar issues appeared to have been encountered in other money laundering cases, prompting defence lawyers to seek direction from the presiding magistrate. 

The magistrate said she would decree on both Seguna's request to visit Marsaxlokk and his application concerning his blocked funds at a later date, in chambers. 

She however revoked a curfew that forced Seguna to be home between 11:30pm and 7am after hearing that it was preventing him from attending certain events, such as 6:00am mass and late evening prayer meetings which were held after working hours. 

The curfew was no longer necessary, she said. 

Seguna's case

Over a number of sittings since last August, numerous parishioners have testified about the valuable work done by Fr Luke for the parish church and the people of Marsaxlokk, some saying that they missed his charitable acts. 

Witnesses said that they willingly donated funds under the “arbural” system, while others explained that they used to donate money to the priest to be used by him as he best deemed fit.

However, prosecutors claim that the priest held hundreds of thousands of euros in various bank accounts, together with a collection of five motorbikes and two cars, despite a relatively meagre income as a clergyman. 

Several suspicious bank transactions had triggered police investigations in his regard.

Some €148,000 were allegedly traced to payment processing companies linked to a porn site, while police also tracked down a number of cheques totalling around €18,000 issued by a third party to the priest. 

The case continues. 

AG lawyers Ramon Bonett Sladden and Andrea Zammit prosecuted. Lawyers Jose’ Herrera, Matthew Xuereb and Alex Scerri Herrera are defence counsel.Lawyer Stefano Filletti is representing the Malta Archdiocese.