Three arraigned over boat fire 10 years ago

Three men were yesterday charged in connection with an arson attack that took place 10 years ago.

The lawyers representing the accused argued that the time laid down by law during which the police had to charge their clients had expired.

Magistrate Edwina Grima ruled that their arrest was legal and granted them bail. However, she has still to decide whether the alleged crime was time barred.

Jonathan Grech, 29, pleaded not guilty to torching the Comino Princess on September 8, 2000 and together with his father, George, 60, both of St Paul’s Bay pleaded not guilty to being accomplices in the burning of the boat Mermaid on September 26, 2007.

A third man, Christopher Coleiro, 30, of Ħamrun denied giving false testimony in September 2000.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi and Joe Brincat pleaded that the case was time-barred and insisted that, in any case, their clients should not have been charged under arrest because the time on which the police could arraign them had lapsed.

The court granted Mr Coleiro bail against a personal guarantee of €5,000 and the Grechs were granted bail against a personal guarantee of €10,000 each.