Jail term changed to fine

A company director who was originally jailed for three months for exercising a presumed right had his punishment altered to a Lm250 fine on appeal.

George Muscat, a director at Bay Street Holdings Limited and Bay Street Operations Limited, had been jailed after the Magistrates' Court found him guilty of exercising a presumed right when he changed the lock of Il-Grokk to the detriment of Rita Anne Bigeni and Ray Bajada.

But Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, who presided over the appeal, noted that the matter originated because the rent for Il-Grokk, in Baystreet, had not been paid for some time and Muscat took the law into his hands.

The origins of the matter, the judge noted, was a civil one and the court felt that a fine was more appropriate.