Court wants to examine Cassola's passports

A magistrate presiding over the electoral proceedings against Arnold Cassola yesterday summoned the director of the passports office to inform the court about the date when Cassola's most recent passport had been issued and to submit all his previous passports at the next sitting.

Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera gave the ruling after Cassola submitted his passport, which showed an earliest departure stamp dated January 6, 2003, during yesterday's electoral proceedings.

The proceedings arose after the Labour Party filed a court application for Cassola, who is Alternattiva Demokratika's spokesman for European Union affairs, to be struck off the electoral register, claiming he does not satisfy the legal residency requirements which would make him eligible to vote.

A voter has to be resident in Malta for at least six months in the 18 months before the publication of an electoral register.

In yesterday's sitting AD chairman Harry Vassallo, who represented Cassola, asked the MLP to produce evidence proving that Cassola had not been in Malta for the time required by the law.

Dr Michael Falzon, representing the MLP, said Cassola was subject to law just like any other person and he asked him to present his passport for the electoral office to examine.

The court then asked Cassola to present the passport which was examined and it was noted that the first departure stamp was dated January 6, 2003.

On hearing this Dr Falzon remarked that the professor had obviously presented a passport that did not cover the past 18 months and that he was beating about the bush.

Dr Vassallo replied that that was the passport valid at the time.

Magistrate Scerri Herrera then summoned the director of the passports office to inform the court about the date when the passport presented by Cassola had been issued and to submit all his previous passports next Tuesday.