Weekly News highlights

The agreement on SmartCity Malta was signed on Monday morning between the Maltese government and SmartCity, a joint venture between Tecom Investments and Sama Dubai, and a number of multinationals are already showing "significant interest" in the project.

The Lm95 million project is expected to create 5,600 jobs over eight years and promises to transform the derelict Ricasoli Industrial Estate into a state-of-the-art ICT and media business community.

At today's prices, SmartCity Malta is estimated by 2014 to be making an annual contribution of some Lm227 million (€534 million) to Malta's GDP. IT Minister Austin Gatt said the first workers are expected to be engaged within 18 months.

Acquitted after 17 years

Almost 17 years after being arraigned in court, a customs official and two stevedores last week were acquitted of involvement in the illegal importation of three containers and evading over Lm65,000 in duty and levy.

Since then, another two men who were originally arraigned over the same case, have passed away.

Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna cleared customs official Henry Cassar and stevedores Charles Abela and Lino Abela of their involvement in illegally importing the three containers between September and October 1989.

The containers contained about Lm44,500 worth of alcohol, pasta, canned fruit, chocolate, clothes and television sets.

Bail for alleged killer

David Zerafa, who stands charged with the murder of Gozitan lawyer Michael Grech three years ago, was granted bail last week after a court heard how he had been held in preventive custody for over 20 months.

Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, in the Criminal Court, upheld Zerafa's request for bail since the law states that if the Attorney General has not issued the bill of indictment 20 months after a person's arraignment, then that person ought to be granted bail.

Zerafa was arraigned on July 16, 2005, and was therefore granted bail against a Lm21,000 deposit or on condition that a third party acted as a guarantor for the same amount.

Zerafa is pleading not guilty to murdering Dr Grech in May 2004.

Net TV editor loses libel case

Anton Attard, former editor of Net Television, last week was ordered to pay Lm1,000 in damages to One TV presenter Alfred Zammit after the court found that Mr Zammit had been libelled when his image was broadcast immediately following a statement that a dead rabbit had been waved on a roof. On January 23, 2003, Net TV had broadcast part of a mass meeting by the Malta Labour Party. The broadcast emphasised actions taken by a third party who had waved a dead rabbit on his own roof.

The broadcast had immediately followed this shot with an image of Mr Zammit who had organised the meeting. The court held that viewers thus got the impression that he was involved in this act.

Record Ecstasy haul

On Thursday, 32-year-old Jason Cassar, of Bugibba, was charged with importing and conspiring to deal in close to 29,000 Ecstasy pills.

Cassar pleaded not guilty but his request for bail was turned down.

Police made the record haul when they raided a flat in Qawra on Tuesday afternoon.

Editor to pay Lm2,000

On Wednesday, Felx Agius, editor of the MLP weekly KullHadd was ordered to pay Lm2,000 in libel damages to Paul Josef Vassallo, one of the partners of Where's Everybody?

Vassallo had felt libelled by an article published in December 2001.

Mayor wins libel damages

A total of Lm3,000 in damages were awarded to Fgura mayor Anthony De Giovanni on Thursday after the court decided he had been libelled by a letter published in In-Nazzjon in August 2001.

The mayor had sued the letter's author, Fgura councillor Mark Lombardo, who was ordered to pay Lm2,500 to Mr De Giovanni, and the newspaper's editor John Zammit, who was ordered to pay him Lm500.

Fewer jobless

The jobless figure for March stood at 7,033, a decline of 660 over the same month last year, the National Statistics Office said on Thursday.

Three years for defilement

Arshad Nawaz, a 31-year-old Pakistani, on Thursday was jailed for three years for defiling a 13-year-old boy last summer when he deceived him into going to his apartment on the pretext of having a drink.

The boy testified in court how he was walking in Independence Gardens, Sliema, on his way to meet some friends at the beach when the man called him.

Lm6,000 in damages to fellow worker

Kriston Caruana on Friday was ordered to pay Matthew Camilleri, a colleague, over Lm6,000 in damages for having beaten him up at work in an argument over a Manchester United-Bayern Munich football match. The incident took place on April 4, 2001, at the Raesh Quarglas (Malta) factory in Mosta.

Jail for selling drugs

Josette Bickle, 37, was jailed for two years on Friday after pleading guilty to trafficking in heroin and cocaine three years ago.