Yioham mass murder case postponed

A Sicilian court was yesterday due to start hearing a case against a Pakistani married to a Maltese and a Lebanese who are facing charges of mass murder but proceedings were put off to December as the Lebanese man has still not been extradited from France.

Turab Sheikh (picture) and a Lebanese skipper, Youssef al-Hallal, are both facing charges of murder in connection with the 1996 Christmas Day tragedy when about 230 illegal immigrants drowned in the Malta-Sicily Channel.

The illegal immigrants were being off-loaded from the mv Yioham from an 18-metre Maltese registered launch, which was formerly an RAF search and rescue vessel.

Mr Sheikh's counsel, Giuseppe Crisatiano, yesterday pleaded that his client had not been informed about the proceedings but the prosecutor, Salvatore Campisi, argued that Mr Sheikh knew about them and was free to choose whether to be present during the trial or whether the case against him could be heard in absentia.

The court noted that the French courts had still not decided on the Lebanese skipper's extradition and put off the case to December.