A soldier facing charges for seriously injuring a man at the Gianpula nightclub on the eve of Santa Marija had been acquitted of his involvement in his mother's security company because he is a shareholder not a director.

Stephen Ciangura is a majority shareholder in a security company, Executive Security Services Ltd, which provides bouncers for places of entertainment. The company was registered with the Malta Financial Services Authority in September 2008.

Earlier this year, Police Inspector Robert Vella charged Mr Ciangura and his mother Therese with their involvement in the security company without the necessary licence issued by the Police Commissioner. They were also charged with employing people as private guards or offering the service of private guards when they were not in possession of a licence.

They were accused of committing the said crimes between September 2008 and January this year.

On July 9, Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera found Ms Ciangura, who is the company's director and legal representative, guilty of operating the company without a licence.

Mr Ciangura was cleared of the charges brought against him because he is not responsible for the company in the eyes of the law.

The court was informed that by the time the case was appointed and heard, Ms Ciangura had obtained the necessary licences. She was conditionally discharged for a year.

The 32-year-old Rabat man will be charged with seriously injuring 25-year-old Renè Brincat, who had his jaw kicked in two weekends ago.

In a letter to The Times, his lawyer, Arthur Azzopardi, said his client intended to contest "decidedly and in the most absolute manner the accusations that are being levied against him".

Both the Armed Forces of Malta and Dr Azzopardi pointed out yesterday that the criminal case against Lance Bombardier Ciangura had been decided and he had been cleared of his involvement in his mother's company.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.