Weekly News highlights

Silvio Cutajar, 37, of Fgura, was last Sunday remanded in custody after he was charged with drug trafficking in Swieqi. It was alleged that around 40 sachets containing heroin were found in a truck being driven by Cutajar. He was refused bail.

Maltese observers for Palestinian elections

Five Maltese will form part of the European Union's observation mission monitoring the upcoming Palestinian presidential elections. Four will be on the "active list" and another will act as a substitute.

Nationalist MP Mario Galea, Labour's international secretary Joe Mifsud, Alan Bugeja, a diplomat, and Joe Borg, Nationalist Mellieha councillor, will be election monitors. Labour MP Anglu Farrugia will act as a "substitute".

Serious injury charge

An Egyptian, Mustafa Gohar, 29, of St Paul's Bay, on Tuesday was charged with seriously injuring Mohamed Omar Ali Grad, whom he employed illegally.

Gohar pleaded not guilty to being responsible for injuries suffered by Grad, who fell from scaffolding when he was ordered to carry out maintenance works at a factory in November.

Gohar also pleaded not guilty to illegally employing Grad and failing to ensure his safety at work. He was granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm1,000.

Usury victims acquitted of attempted murder

Usury victims Michael Salomone and Marcel Cassar walked out of the law courts free men on Tuesday after jurors cleared them of their involvement in the attempted murder of Anthony Borg, known as Il-Bona.

Almost six years after having been arraigned over Borg's attempted murder, the two men were cleared by seven votes to two of trying to kill Borg by running him over with a hired van in Gudja on January 12, 1999.

Salomone, 35, of Sliema was fined Lm30 for failing to inform the police when he came into possession of a firearm in August 1998. He was unanimously cleared of filing a false police report.

Cassar, 47, of Attard, was given a six-month jail term suspended for four years after jurors found him guilty of fabricating an offence when he filed a police report, saying the van he hired had been stolen.

Opposition's walkout

The opposition walked out from Parliament on Wednesday and did not take part in the final budget vote in what Opposition Leader Alfred Sant said was a symbolic gesture to reflect the people's anger at the Budget measures and the government's incompetence.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi described the Opposition's action as a gimmick which devalued democracy and demonstrated irresponsibility.

The walkout took place immediately after Dr Sant concluded the Opposition's remarks in the Budget debate. The Budget was later approved with no contest.

Transsexual's human rights 'violated'

A constitutional application filed by a man who underwent gender reassignment surgery was upheld by Mr Justice Noel Cuschieri in the First Hall of the Civil Court on Wednesday. The application was filed against the Attorney General and the Director of the Public Registry.

The applicant submitted that although she was born a man (as evidenced by her birth registration certificate), she had always felt herself to be a woman. She had eventually undergone gender reassignment surgery in Brighton, England, in 1996, and was now a woman.

However she still faced problems and embarrassment as her official document did not tally with her new sex. The court declared that the failure of the state to provide for the needs of transsexuals constituted a breach of an individual's fundamental human rights.

The court therefore ordered the Director of the Public Registry to amend the applicant's birth certificate and to enter the appropriate annotation.

Malta favours early EU accession talks with Turkey

Prime minister Lawrence Gonzi was in Brussels on Thursday for a crucial EU summit which discussed the opening of accession talks with Turkey. The PM was accompanied by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo.

Malta is in favour of opening accession talks with Turkey and of giving the predominantly Muslim country a date for the start of negotiations.

Malta is among the countries which favour starting talks "as early as possible" next year, while another group, led by France, prefer a later option.

Illegal immigrant drowns

An illegal immigrant, trying to make his way to Malta along with 19 others, drowned a few metres from shore early on Thursday morning.

Police sources said the man drowned after he jumped off the boat he was on and tried to swim ashore. The identity and the age of the victim were not confirmed.

The illegal immigrants were seen roaming on the rocks in the limits of Qrendi. The immigrants, who claimed to be Palestinians, Egyptians and Pakistanis, were taken for questioning.

Dismissed civil servant claims human rights violation

Former civil servant Alfred Briffa filed a constitutional application on Thursday claiming that his fundamental human right to enjoyment of property had been violated.

Briffa, who filed his application against the Prime Minister and the Director General of Education, claimed that in 1987 he had applied for two years off on unpaid leave and this request had been upheld by the Education Department.

However, when Briffa tried to return to work after the lapse of two years, he was not allowed to do so and was suspended from work.

In his application, Briffa declared that he had a vested right to his employment within the civil service and he requested the court to declare that his fundamental human rights had been violated.

The court was also requested to order his reinstatement.

Three months for trafficking heroin

One of two men charged with trafficking heroin was jailed for three months after he pleaded guilty to the charge on Thursday.

During separate arraignments, the two men, whose names were not published by court order, were charged with trafficking heroin in and before December.

One of the men, a 33-year-old from San Gwann, admitted to the charge and was jailed for three months after Magistrate Joseph Cassar noted he had co-operated with the police.

The other, a 23-year-old from Marsascala, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in custody.

Lm19,000 damages after traffic accident

A family injured in a traffic accident in July 2001 on Thursday was awarded Lm18,950 damages by Mr Justice Tonio Mallia, sitting in the First Hall of the Civil Court.

John and Mary Rose Mizzi and their daughter Amanda, who filed their writ of summons against Carmelo Azzopardi, claimed that Mary Rose and Amanda had been injured while driving in Naxxar when they had been involved in an accident with a car driven by Azzopardi. They claimed they sustained permanent disabilities.

The court said it was clear that Azzopardi was solely responsible for the damages sustained.

Court confirms jail sentence for PC's murder

The Court of Crimal Appeal on Thursday confirmed a 22-year jail term handed down to former PC Etienne Carter who was found guilty of murdering his colleague, PC Mark Farrugia, in Tarxien, five years ago.

Chambray deal approved

A motion for the emphyteutical grant of Fort Chambray in Gozo to businessman Michael Caruana was approved by the House of Representatives on Friday. The motion was approved at the end of a stormy sitting.

Public Investments Minister Austin Gatt defended the deal, saying that government would net Lm3.7 million, the project would get going again and generate jobs, and the developer was also assuming onerous responsibilities for the maintenance of fortifications.

Opposition Leader Alfred Sant said a prime site was being transferred for a ridiculous price that amounted to a betrayal of the people.

'Marriage of convenience' declared null and void

The marriage of a Moroccan woman to a Maltese has been declared null and void after a court ruled the woman took advantage of the man's state of mental health to acquire Maltese citizenship.

Mr Justice Raymond Pace, who presided over the Civil Court's Family Section, heard how the man and woman got married at the Public Registry on August 19, 2002. But the man eventually asked the court to declare the marriage null and void.