A man charged with human trafficking had his bail conditions varied to ensure he would not escape from the island, as he did once before.

In May 2005 Victor Philip Bajada was accused of trafficking in humans for prostitution purposes, living off the earnings of prostitution and running a brothel. (He had been charged together with his father Emanuel.)

Mr Bajada had been granted bail against a personal guarantee of Lm20,000. But in August, 2006, his bail was revoked and a court ordered his re-arrest after the prosecution learnt that he absconded to England.

He was then apprehended in England and extradited to Malta in February when the proceedings against him continued.

Once he did not pay the Lm20,000, that he then owed the government for breaching bail, the sum was converted to 4,000 days in jail. Then, in September 4 this year, he was granted bail once again and bound by a personal guarantee of Lm10,000.

The Attorney General filed an application requesting that Mr Bajada's bail be revoked given that he could not be trusted.

Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano, in the Criminal Court, pointed out that since the proceedings had continued (after Mr Bajada was sent back to Malta) the case moved at a snail's pace. There seemed to be a lack of coordination between the Attorney General's office and the police who were prosecuting. In these circumstances the judge did not think it was appropriate to order Mr Bajada's re-arrest.

However, given the serious nature of the charges, the judge altered some bail conditions. He included a Lm10,000 deposit and ordered Mr Bajada to sign twice daily at his local police station, amongst other conditions.