Malta-based man to face Sicily proceedings in absentia

A Pakistani man, married to a Maltese, and a Lebanese are both set to start facing compilation proceedings in absentia in a Sicily court tomorrow in connection with the 1996 Christmas Day tragedy when about 230 illegal immigrants drowned in the Malta-Sicily channel.

Turab Ahmed Sheikh, who is in Malta, and Lebanese skipper Youssef al-Hallal, currently under arrest in France awaiting deportation to Italy, will both face charges of voluntary homicide.

The immigrants who perished were being off-loaded from the MV Yioham onto an 18-metre Maltese registered launch, which was formerly an RAF search and rescue vessel, belonging to Mr Sheikh.

Mr Sheikh had been extradited to Italy in October last year to face involuntary homicide charges and was acquitted in July.

He had told the police at the time about his involvement and that he was meant to go on the trip himself but then changed his mind when he saw the rough seas and bad weather. He claims he had tried to stop the others from going but they went ahead. He had kept radio contact and was told the boat was taking in water and then lost contact.

A Greek married to a Maltese woman and another Maltese man had also perished with the illegal immigrants.

Mr Sheikh yesterday told The Times he had not been officially informed that he would be charged again and learnt about it from Italian newspapers.

"It is most unfair that the Italians want to charge me for murder. I was not even there when the Yioham collided with the boat and I had done all I could to prevent the tragic accident. How can they accuse me of wilfully trying to kill these people," he asked.

According to survivors, the migrants were forced off at gun point by the skipper and crew. The captain of the Yioham has been arrested and jailed in Italy twice but was allowed to go free. The first time, in 1998, he was set free on the grounds that the disaster took place in international waters outside the court's jurisdiction.

The second time was in 2001, when Mr al-Hallal was himself classified as an illegal immigrant, sent to a detention centre and extradited to France, where he was last reported to be living as an antiques dealer.