A Libyan man living in Swieqi and granted bail under house arrest yesterday had his bail bond deposit reduced from Lm10,000 to Lm4,000 and the guarantee increased from Lm10,000 to Lm15,000.

The ruling was given by Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera in the case against Mahmud Ali Amber, 34, also known as il-Mizda, who is pleading not guilty to drug conspiracy, importation and trafficking.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera noted that Amber had been granted bail under house arrest in August 2001 but that he had not left prison because he could not afford to deposit the Lm10,000.

After investigating Amber's financial situation, the magistrate defined the principles of the granting bail, among which she listed the principle that the preventive arrest could be illegal or irregular if the guarantees were excessive and this led to the defendant not being able to benefit from bail.

The case continues.

Police Inspectors Neville Aquilina and Norbert Ciappara are prosecuting.

Dr Michael Sciriha and Dr Ian Farrugia are appearing for Amber.

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