Updated 6.10pm - Camilleri given access to documents
Mark Camilleri has questioned how the police wrapped up a police investigation against him in a matter of hours, with “such enthusiasm and zeal”.
The author and former National Book Council chair risks criminal charges after he published transcripts of conversations between Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar and Tumas heir Yorgen Fenech, who has since been charged with complicity in murder.
Camilleri published the conversations on Tuesday afternoon, one day before a libel case Cutajar filed against him continued.
Cutajar sued the author after he claimed, in his book, that the MP and Fenech had an intimate relationship that helped further her political career, and that Fenech gave her "corrupt money".
On Wednesday, Cutajar’s lawyers started legal action. The police wrapped up their probe by Thursday, informing the court that the publication of the chats breached a November 2021 ban on releasing any information found on devices seized from Yorgen Fenech.
The court has since ordered that Camilleri be charged with contempt of court. If found guilty, he can be jailed for up to one month and fined up to €4,000.
Request for key documents
In a court application filed on Friday, Camilleri’s lawyers argued that they need copies of key documents if they are to defend their client following the court decree.
When one of his lawyers sought to access those documents earlier on Friday, he was only given access to Thursday's final decree by the courts.
Among the documents they requested are a copy of the November 2021 decree, a copy of the application filed by Cutajar’s lawyers requesting an investigation, the court’s order to the police to investigate and the police’s reply.
Camilleri argued that his lawyers need access to all those documents in to safeguard his fundamental rights.
He also requested those documents so as to be able to look into how investigations against him were ordered against him with “such speed and so energetically in a matter of few hours by the Police Commissioner.”
On Friday evening, a court ordered that Camilleri be given access to the documents his lawyers requested.
Lawyers David Bonello and Joseph Mizzi signed the application.