Tapped phone calls heard in court behind closed doors
Around 300 conversations were recorded
Sensitive phone calls recorded between four men and contractor Bastjan Dalli, before their alleged drug trafficking deal fell to pieces, were heard in court yesterday behind closed doors.
This is the second closed hearing in the case, in which the men are charged with conspiring to import some 30 kilogrammes of "cannabis" which later turned out to be soap.
The court cited the "sensitive nature of the recordings" for its decision. Allegedly, the four men were caught leaving an area known as L-Irdum ta' Miġra l-Ferħa, near Mtaħleb, in two cars on December 27 after they picked up the "cannabis" from the rocky beach.
The police were at the site following intense investigations by the security services, which recorded around 300 phone calls between the men and Mr Dalli.
The other men were Rupert Busuttil, 34, Carmelo Borg, 31, Marvin Debono, 22, Paul Azzopardi, 29.
The conversations included some between Mr Busuttil and his girlfriend, Julie Spiteri, and between Mr Borg and his girlfriend, Bernice Debono.
Testifying on February 13, Police Superintendent Neil Harrison said that when Mr Dalli was confronted with the recordings during his interrogation he could not come up with a reasonable explanation.
Magistrate Miriam Hayman yesterday had to decide whether Mr Dalli, who is in custody, should be granted bail but the decision was postponed to Monday because Ms Spiteri and Ms Debono still have to testify.