Trial of former chief justice: Judge Filletti testifies
All three judges considering the appeal which led to the arraignment of the former chief justice had agreed the sentence should be reduced from the 16 years that had been given although Justice Joseph Filletti had wanted it to go down to 13 years,...
All three judges considering the appeal which led to the arraignment of the former chief justice had agreed the sentence should be reduced from the 16 years that had been given although Justice Joseph Filletti had wanted it to go down to 13 years, rather than the 12 years finally agreed upon.
Mr Justice Filletti was giving evidence in the trial of former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo.
Dr Arrigo is being charged with bribery and trading in influence in a case that has already seen former Judge Patrick Vella being jailed for two years for accepting €23,000 to reduce the jail term of drug trafficker, Mario Camilleri, also known as L-Imnieħru, from a 16-year-jail term to 12 years. He has pleaded not guilty. The trial started on Wednesday before Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo.
Mr Justice Filletti started his testimony by declaring that no one had approached him other by the two judges with whom he was considering the case.
He said that on the day in question, there were another five appeals and five judgements, all related to drugs, had to be given.
The three judges agreed that the judgements should be drafted by Dr Vella, who would then pass them on to the other two for their considerations.
The judgement in question was an admission and the appeal was a matter of calibrating the punishment.
Judge Filletti recalled that he had suggested the reduction should be to no less than 13-years.
About a week before the judgement was due, he received an envelope with the draft judgements at his chamber. Two were confirmed, two reformed and one released the accused. He said he agreed with them.
However, he told the former Chief Justice he had been under the impression the three had agreed not to go below 13 years for the Camilleri judgement.
Dr Arrigo agreed but said the decision had been reconsidered because Dr Vella felt it was fairer in the circumstances.
Judge Filletti said that with the chief justice and the other judge saying this he felt he should not insist and 12 years were given.
This is an ongoing update of the trial.