Magistrate is accused of political bias
Judge rules magistrate interpreted law wrongly
Anglu Farrugia
Labour deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia yesterday accused Magistrate Audrey Demicoli of political bias when she acquitted a man of vote rigging in the March 2008 election.
The magistrate’s judgment was overturned by an Appeals Court, which found the restaurateur in question guilty of threatening to sack one of his employees if she did not vote for the Nationalist Party. The restaurateur was fined €800.
Speaking at a party activity in Rabat, Dr Farrugia did not name the magistrate but referred to the judgment, which she delivered in a case that he had reported himself.
He said people expected judgments to be “according to the law”.
“Without saying who her (the magistrate’s) father is or explaining his role in the machinery and strategy of the Nationalist Party, the magistrate acquitted this contractor,” he said.
“I spoke in Parliament and said that a judgment has to be fair and according to law. This is the responsibility of every member of the judiciary. I insisted on an appeal because we cannot go for another election and have this abuse,” he said.
Magistrate Demicoli’s father, Saviour, has been a PN activist for several years and ran the party’s organising committee in the 1970s and 1980s. A former teacher, Mr Demicoli also represented the party on the Birkirkara local council.
The appeal judgment was made public on Saturday by Dr Farrugia during a debate on Xarabank with his Nationalist counterpart, Simon Busuttil. As he did during the debate, Dr Farrugia asked whether Transport Minister Austin Gatt, who is responsible for the party’s electoral office, would resign over the verdict.
The former police superintendent had brought the matter to the fore shortly after the 2008 election when he called on the Police Commissioner to investigate whether voting documents had been bought by Nationalists ahead of the election, which saw the PN win with a wafer-thin 1,500-vote majority.
He alleged that hundreds of votes could have been sold and gave the police a three-page report detailing cases with names and the alleged amounts traded.
At least one case, that of 44-year-old Pierre Bartolo, owner of Papillon Caterers, was tried in court and he was found guilty of threatening two employees and ordering them to vote for PN.
During the court hearings, it was claimed that two employees – Kristylee Bezzina and Anthony Zammit – had been instructed and threatened over how to vote in the election by their employer.
In the case of Mr Zammit, also known as Is-Sei, who claimed that he had been threatened, three employees had described him as unreliable and the magistrate felt that it could not be proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had been coerced.
Ms Bezzina had testified in court that Mr Bartolo had threatened her. She had also said that she planned to vote PN anyway. On the basis of this, the magistrate concluded that there had been no influence.
The magistrate said she believed that the fact that someone encouraged another person to vote or provided a means of transport to go to vote could not be seen as being an illegal influence or corrupt practice, otherwise the parties’ electoral offices, which regularly organised such transport, would also be guilty.
In an appeal judgment, however, Mr Justice Michael Mallia ruled that the magistrate had misinterpreted the law under which Mr Bartolo had been charged.
Mr Justice Mallia said that Ms Bezzina’s intention to vote PN in any case was “irrelevant” in respect to the charge against Mr Bartolo who had clearly exerted undue pressure on his employees to vote for the Nationalists.
Moreover, the judge noted that Mr Bartolo had driven Ms Bezzina to the polling station to vote during working hours when Ms Bezzina had decided not to vote.
Mr Justice Mallia ruled that the Magistrate’s Court could not have reasonably arrived to the conclusion it had reached and, so, upheld the appeal, finding Mr Bartolo guilty of exerting illegal pressure and fined him €800.
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Paul Azzopardi
Dec 21st 2012, 15:50
Does a sensible party chuck out one of it's top leaders because he's defending what he saw as undemocratic practices which harmed the very same party?
Worse, does a decent party treat people in this ignoble way? Let alone its Deputy Leader?
Prepare for another defeat at the polls. That will make it a generation of hoping to win by default.
Charles Vella
Dec 17th 2012, 20:46
I miss those smiles and happy go lucky anglu on xarbank last saturday... was fun seeing him in a totally different way, it was like i've seen another person on my telly instead of anglu LOL
j brincat
Dec 17th 2012, 15:57
@Antoine Vella
"Anglu Farrugia had spoken of HUNDREDS of votes.... He had even mentioned the prices.."
ARE you by any chance condoning such undemocratic practices which also go by the name of corrupt practices?
The Appeals Court has confirm that it was so.
Remember that your Toppled GonziPN won the last election, after all the unkept promises, BY a whisker!!!
(jb)
Anthony Scicluna
Dec 17th 2012, 16:58
JB, what is wrong is wrong. Why then no Labour supporter recognises and admits companies were called during the famous imnarja incident so that employers report no shows to the MLP?
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 17:37
The Inmarja was an illegal call by PN to miss a day's work.
PN was not a union but a political party had no right to call a strike because government removed Imnarja from a public holiday. The same party that made public holidays that fall on a weekend not given as an extra off day some other tiem.
Tonio Bone
Dec 17th 2012, 18:28
@ m.borg (slm) - the Imnarja Days was a very bleak and worrying for period which was fast becoming a police state. If you are comparing those days with today then you are either locked in a time warp or you are so indoctrinated you are incurable. How can you even think of churning up those times again is beyond me. The population was terrorised. How can you rekindle such bad nightmarish memories!
Anthony Scicluna
Dec 17th 2012, 18:40
m borg (slm). How convenient it is dismiss one wrong with some lame excuse that it was illegal. You still ignored that the report by the employers had to be made to the MLP-GWU (the time when they were one). That is illegal in itself. Not showing up for work is a matter internal to companies and a political party has no say in it. This is what the above states. Vera, Labour won't change.
GL Calleja
Dec 17th 2012, 15:13
Tis the season to be Jolly. Can we ever stay away from politics and enjoy these last two weeks of the Holiday Season? What is done is done and we cannot change anything in the next two weeks so let us all relax and try to refrain from discussing politics and maybe enjoy our families a little more. HoHoHo, Merry Christmas, Nobody knows what is in store for us in the coming new year yet.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 17:38
No one is keeping you from doing just that why should you drag everyone else.
pat muscat
Dec 17th 2012, 14:41
All this amounts to corrupt practice; no ifs or buts. Mela meta jizbalja Laburist jehlu l-Laburisti kollha u meta jizbalja Nazzjonalist naqbzghu ghalih? Jew bhas-soltu anke l-hazin tan-Nazzjonalisti ifuh? Meta se nikbru bhal a pajjiz u naqtghu pika bla sens jew niddefendu dak li indefensibli?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 17th 2012, 16:14
@patMuscat.
These are NOT corrupt practices:
Insisting that an employee should not negligently omit to vote for the party of its choice
Allowing an employee to leave the place of work to vote
Providing transport to and from the polling booth
An employer warning that after the election jobs would be lost.
Corrupt practice is when votes are snatched from electors queuing to vote.
pat muscat
Dec 17th 2012, 17:00
@ Frances Saliba MD.
Bad excuse are worse than none.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 17th 2012, 17:30
@ pat muscat.
Is that the best you can do? Please, try to confute my clear points logically. Your opinion that they are "bad excuses" is grossly inadequate.
Michael Seychell
Dec 17th 2012, 21:31
Pat you are either young in age or you have a blinkered memory. Under the Mintoff regime people were even shot at to deterr them from voting. In 1987 many PN supporters in Zejtun could not go to vote because of the meddling of the Labour thugs. I hope you will not tell me not to mention the past,since as we know history repeats itself.
Michael Seychell Tal-Pieta
Peter Bonnici
Dec 17th 2012, 14:31
The number of votes gained by the PN in the 2008 case of vote rigging, is nothing compared to what it gained after Anglu Farrugia's performance last Saturday.
Denis Pace
Dec 17th 2012, 14:17
If somebody fears that his business or job is jeopardized if a particular party is elected to office....I wouldn't blame him for panicking.
There will be lots of this soon!
Happy New Year!!
j brincat
Dec 17th 2012, 14:12
@Joe Tabone
"After hearing him on TV last weekend, you cannot expect anything better.............OLD LABOUR (PL) !!"
AND who did Simon Says fare in this much hyped debate?
The answer: Beating about the bush and avoiding direct answers.
Much and much better was expected of him after so much fanfare!!!
(jb)
(jb)
Anthony Scicluna
Dec 17th 2012, 14:08
What about the threats that Labour made to kick out those who did not attend work on the Mnarja? Be careful when you mention the past of other people, because yours will surely come and bit you too.
How about addressing the real policy issues and your lack of clarity during the debate? To the extent that Muscat had to clarify. And even tariffs are not the crux of our economic/political future
j brincat
Dec 17th 2012, 14:06
'Justice is to be SEEN as being done ' the famous saying by the late Dr Guido Demarco.
Quote: Ms Bezzina had testified in court that Mr Bartolo had threatened her. She had also said that she planned to vote PN anyway. On the basis of this, the magistrate concluded that there had been no influence."
Unquote: AND what logical conclusion is this????
How bizarre!!!
(jb)
V Caruana
Dec 17th 2012, 13:59
Comments below are more amusing than the article itself.
M Grima
Dec 17th 2012, 13:57
Fliemkien kollox possibli taht GonziPN, specjalment fejn tidhol il-gudikatura.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Dec 17th 2012, 13:07
It seems that the Pn diehards here are all defedning the magistrate and attacking Farrugia. This means to me that there may be a certain truth in what Farrugia said - she is being defended because of her political connections to GonziPN. By defending the Mag, you are proving Farrugia right.
robert caruana
Dec 17th 2012, 13:04
HHHMMMMM....... what a questionable guy at the best of times but especially saying Simon was hiding inside a room rich when his party was stopping him from going on tv because they do not trust their own deputy leaders by the looks of it. on the subject of which has this guy forgotten when montoff was not allowed in the Party head quaters!!!!!!!! they think we are stupid......
Carmel Zammit
Dec 17th 2012, 13:06
Where did you get this from?
P. Ciantar
Dec 17th 2012, 12:43
hallina Angel ! You have not impressed any one !
Carmel Zammit
Dec 17th 2012, 13:05
It may not be music to your ears but it is very serious indeed. Not to be taken lightly.
A.Felix Busuttil
Dec 17th 2012, 14:31
who impressed you?
the guy who talked a lot and did not know the facts, impressed you because he speaks softly, the hanini way.after all he was afraid to face Franco in his eyes. Simon is the deputy leader of Dr Franco Debono, Franco still a GonziPN MP
Joe Tabone
Dec 17th 2012, 12:40
After hearing him on TV last weekend, you cannot expect anything better.............OLD LABOUR (PL) !!
Jimmy Ventura
Dec 17th 2012, 17:49
So old labour is right after all!
He was proved right by the court.
victor bonello
Dec 17th 2012, 12:33
I sometimes ponder on how human beings behave. We seem to have all forgotten the misty deals over the past five years and all of a sudden because the election is coming behave like football fans where any treat to our team must be quashed at all costs. GonziPN has failed miserable to build credibility over these years and this I shall not forget.
joseph saliba
Dec 17th 2012, 12:17
Why did not he tell us about Dr Muscat thinks about the water tariffs?!!!!!!
A Bezzina
Dec 17th 2012, 12:08
Almost brought a tear to my eye ... that is, until I remembered the institutionalized threats, beatings, violence, bullying etc... of the 80s when the responsibility was not that of a private employer, but of the state itself!! No, it was not right for anyone to threaten your employees and order them to vote either way, but let's keep things in perspective Dr Farrugia ... lest we forget ...
Jeffrey Mallia
Dec 17th 2012, 12:38
Indeed you brought tears to my eyes as well A Bezzina....!! Mind you, you should have done something about it in 25 years ....
Carmel Zammit
Dec 17th 2012, 13:12
You speak of institutionalised threats, violence and bullying. I suffered all of these at the hands of a PN administration and with impunity not in the 80's but as close as 2005 to 2008.
A Bezzina
Dec 17th 2012, 13:37
I have .. I've refreshed my memory every time I see the nightmarish PL faces from the 80s of which there are still MANY around ...
Antoine Vella
Dec 17th 2012, 12:03
Anglu Farrugia had spoken of HUNDREDS of votes, bought not coerced. He had even mentioned the prices and said he had the names. He gave the police a 3-page document supposedly proving such accusations.
Is he ready to publish the secret document?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080328/local/anglu-farrugia-asks-police-commissioner-to-investigate-alleged-sale-of-votes.201911
m mifsud
Dec 17th 2012, 11:59
minn mindu sempliciment ghax sentenza tigi mibdula fil-qorti ta' l-appell ifiiser li l-magistrat tkun biased?!apparti dan din is-sentenza ta l-appell ma tfissirx li l-pn xtara xi voti imma li employer ghamel pressjoni mhux skond il-ligi fuq il-haddiema dwar lil min jivvotaw. haga li hi hazina, imma li ma turix involvimen mill pn.
L Zammit
Dec 17th 2012, 18:14
Din hi l-mentalita laburista. Minn dejjem hekk kienu. Jekk ma taghmilx li nghid jien 'inkissrek'.
Alfred Falzon
Dec 17th 2012, 22:28
@ L Zammit
Iva, il-Partiti hekk jaghmlu la darba tikser difrejk maghhom!
Naqbel mieghek perfettament izda t-tnejn li huma fil-Parlament u mhux il-Partit Laburista biss!
Il-kaz ta' Pawlu Carachi, ta' Mintoff bhala "backbencher" u issa dak ta' Franco Debono huma xiehda hajja ta' dak li semmejt.
Irridu nsemmu z-zewg qniepen biex inkunu kredibbli!
Alf A Falzon
George Cutajar
Dec 17th 2012, 11:45
Comments from politicians about the judiciary at this moment in time are totally uncalled for and cause more harm than one can imagine. The fact that an appeals court overturns a judgment cannot be put down to political bias.
Appeal courts are there precisely to safeguard the interests of the justice system and the more one attacks the judiciary at this cross road the more harm is done.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:53
Tell gonzi this.
J Camilleri
Dec 17th 2012, 11:43
...jigifieri skond min hawn ipacpac fil-vojt hawn taht, li l-imghallem jgheddek lil min tivvota huwa gustifikabbli u li m'ghandu jsir xejn dwaru hux hekk?
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 12:16
jekk jheddek li se jisparalek iva imma jekk jghidlek li jekk jitla partit mhux se jkolli xoghol u jkeccik nahseb jista'. wara kollox il-partiti mhux hekk jghidu lil xulxin li se jtelfu x-xoghol?
Edward Gatt
Dec 17th 2012, 12:31
Le mhux gustifikabbli. Imma int stess qieghed tghid li kien l-imghallem u mihux xi hadd fil-partit nazzjonalista li ghamel it-thedid.
J Camilleri
Dec 17th 2012, 15:10
Imma jekk xi hadd icahdek mid-dritt tal-vot, xi dritt fadallu l-bniedem? ....f'pajjiz li suppost hu demokratiku?
Paul Gauci
Dec 17th 2012, 11:19
An employer putting undue pressure on his employees. This case reminds me of another case involving ex-Sliema councillor Julian Galea. Even that case was shameful. God knows how many other cases fall under the radar.
Mr Henry A. Grima
Dec 17th 2012, 11:12
I wonder what would have happened if the nuns in Vittoriosa and Cospicua sued the MLP when they were barred by mobs from voting 1971-1986.
Nobody is with you when you are in the voting booth .
Even if one takes a picture of the document after voting, it can always be replaced by a new one.
V. Cauchi
Dec 17th 2012, 11:12
There was talk soon after the 2008 elections, when this and similar stories came out, to legislate against mobile photo-snapping phones whereby ballot papers could be photographed and relayed there and then to anyone to prove one's vote. Has the matter been taken up by anyone, anywhere, or has the idea been killed in secret inter-party electoral dialogue?
*Joseph Brincat
Dec 17th 2012, 11:09
And the Deputy leader Simon Busuttil says it is nonsense !!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=liRqgqu-9y4#!
Antoine Vella
Dec 17th 2012, 12:05
As a matter of fact, the case mentioned in this story IS nonsense. What about the hundreds of votes that Anglu Farrugia said had been bought by the PN? Whatever happened to that accusation?
victor bonello
Dec 17th 2012, 12:30
we all know of certain things, but to prove them beyond seasonable doubt is not easy especially when in the opposition benches. It is a fact, that PN supporters on the eve of the election donated huge amounts of money to the PN so that planes could be chartered to bring PN voters in. Is this not buying votes?
Richard Caruana
Dec 17th 2012, 11:04
Qed jipprova jigbor ftit giehu
J Degabriele
Dec 17th 2012, 11:01
We have now come to this, questioning every decision taken by the courts and the fault lies squarely in the judiciary's lap. Some of its members have brought this about and the high esteem with which the judiciary is supposed to be regarded has been deeply eroded. It's not a pretty picture at all!
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Dec 17th 2012, 14:59
The fault is of the present system where the Pm nominates the judiciary. It is obvious that any PM will nominate people know to have his party's leanings. Gross mistake which needs to be changed.
A Cuschieri
Dec 17th 2012, 10:53
Nothing but a stunt by Anglu Farrugia to put the limelight on Demicoli and take the attention away from Pace (appointed in 1998 whilst PL in Government) and Farrugia Sacco (father of a PL candidate) who are both involved in two seperate cases with quite some serious accusations.
Cheap shot anglu ...
Tony Borg
Dec 17th 2012, 11:39
The fact that Judge Pace was appointed by Labour in 1998 is immaterial. If all was well in 1998 what is the problem? If judge Pace did something wrong afterwards that is another matter.
Using your way of thinking God created Adam and Eve, but one sinned. Does that mean that because God created them, he was wrong, and you will be bringing this up as you normally do about what happened years ago.
A Cuschieri
Dec 17th 2012, 12:23
@ Tony Borg
Actually, that's what Anglu Farrugia did in the first place. Simply because Mag. Demicoli's father was a PN activist, he's stating that her decision was politically biased.
And by the way, Adam and Eve weren't bound to keep others from sinning, but Pace and Farrugia Sacco allegedly committed crimes that they themselves should punish when committed by citizens.
Mr Andrew Camilleri
Dec 17th 2012, 15:01
Cuschieri: more worrying in your comment is the statement that these judges appointed by Labour. You are clearly stating that judges have a political loyalty to the party that appointed them. This has to change and judges should be appointed by a totally independent board or through exams (as is done in many EU countries).
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 10:51
Angelo bello mhux ahjar bhala ex-pulizija tghidilna x'gara fil-polling booths fi zmien il-pl fiz-zejtun?
victor caruana
Dec 17th 2012, 10:38
Miskina l-gudikatura!
joseph saliba
Dec 17th 2012, 10:38
But, Dr Farrugia, the PN was not involved. Was not the perpetrator 'just a political hothead'?
Paul Meilak
Dec 17th 2012, 10:36
Alla hares kont thalli gazzetta ( in-Nazzjon taghna ) tidher, taht zmien il-gvern laburista ghaliex kont tlaqqat xeba; ahseb u ara kemm kont tista tghid li se tivvota PN !!
... mur u hallina Ang !
A.Felix Busuttil
Dec 17th 2012, 10:28
What ever you people say, the court of Appeal, the highest court in Malta decided against the Magistrate and in favor of the employee.
A.Felix Busuttil
Dec 17th 2012, 10:26
No wonder the mess at the law court !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
J Cauchi
Dec 17th 2012, 10:26
Ghamel sewwa Dr Anglu Farrugia. Il-poplu issa ddejjaq b'sentenzai strambi kull meta jkun involut ilGvern jew meta jista jkun milqut il-Gvern jew xi Ministru tieghu. U dan ighodd mhux ghall-Qrati biss, imma anke ghall-bordijiet amministrattivi. Din li kull darba jkun involut il-Gvern, min jaghmel il-kawza jkun ghat-t elgha, trid tispicca darba ghal dejjem. M'hemmx bzonn li jghid Anglu Farrugia!
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 12:00
siehbi din is-sistema li qed issemmi jgawdu minnha t-tnejn. naf x'qieghed nghid kultant tal-pl aktar avolja fil-gvern hemm il-pn.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 17th 2012, 10:26
Isn't it incredible! Urging a citizen to do her duty and actually vote, giving her time to vote during office hours, providing transport to go to vote and return promptly, and stating the obvious namely that if after the election there will be loss of business discharges would have to follow, are corrupt practices. Assaulting NP members queuing to vote is really condemnable corrupt practice.
joseph saliba
Dec 17th 2012, 10:18
But was it the PN? Or was the 'perpetrator' a PN official? PL = nitpicking politics.
Mr Albert Dimech
Dec 17th 2012, 10:16
Court judgements proving Dr Farrugia was right and that what we've hearing about undue pressures on voters was true. That's the point here. These undemocratic events. Just think what would have happened if this was done by the PL in government or some PL supporter.
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 10:49
Bhal taz-zejtun per ezempju?
joseph saliba
Dec 17th 2012, 10:58
'Just think...by the PL in government or some PL supporter. That is the difference! The PL (or PN) is not the same as some PL (or PN) whether in gov. or not.
Paul Gauci
Dec 17th 2012, 11:16
They would have written a sequel of 'Liberta' Mhedda' by Dione Borg.
J Martinelli
Dec 17th 2012, 11:16
Oh, now we can put our minds at rest that such tactics were never used by the MLP, Mr Dimech!
Not being caught does not imply innocence. This particular wrongdoing fades to insignificance compared to an attempt by Muscat's Labour Party to deny over 200 legally entitled voters, to vote on March 9. Their right was restored after challenges in court by the NP.
Min jiskongra jrid ikun pur, Albert.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:52
Twanny taz-zejtun nobody's livelyhood was threatened.
It was still wrong but the gravity was less and by the way the Zejtub incident was decided favourably for PN.
Antoine Vella
Dec 17th 2012, 12:07
Court judgement - or the lack of such judgements - actually prove Anglu Farrugia wrong. He had loudly insisted that he knew of hundreds of cases where people had been bribed to vote PN.
Where are they? Why isn't he mentioning them any more?
Charles J. Buttigieg
Dec 17th 2012, 14:13
Martinelli,the PL does not have the legal power to remove any name from the electoral register but,like you and I, has the legal right and obligation to report any mala fede voter. And the PN is protecting them.
M Abela
Dec 17th 2012, 10:02
Everybody knows how Magistrates and Judges are elected especially in the last 20 years. It might not have been ethical of Dr. Angelo Farrugia to point fingers but that is the reality. Dr. Simon Busuttil did worse he claimed the sentence by the Court of Appeal was mere stupidity.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 18th 2012, 10:33
Anglu Farrugia actually accused Magistrate Demicoli of being biased and therefore somehow.corrupt.
No one has implied the same as regards Judge Mallia although many have expressed an opinion that the reasons adduced for the alleged corrupt practice seem incredibly stupid, Please see my comment @ pat muscat, yesterday at 16:14.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 17th 2012, 09:59
If Mag. Demicoli can be accused by Anglu Farrugia of bias in favour of the NP, then by the same illogicality Mr Justice Mallia could be accused of bias in favour of the LP. Logic is not Anglu Farrugia's forte! After all he had falsely claimed hundreds of vote rigging cases, not one, none of which consisted of violent snatching of voting documents by labourites from NP voters queuing to vote.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:50
The difference Mallia has no close relatives militating in PL like the other's father who happens to ba a council member for gonzipn.
Edward Gatt
Dec 17th 2012, 12:29
@ m. borg (slm)
So what about a Judge whose son is a candidate for the LP? Does that render him not suitabale for the post?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Dec 17th 2012, 12:44
@ m borg.
Possible sources of bias in judgements are legion and they are not restricted to family relations.
It is stupid to allege a bias when a judgment goes against you but to claim probity when it is in your favour. That is what A Farrugia has done and what you are defending,
john gauci
Dec 17th 2012, 09:59
The comments by Dr.Farrugia remind me of exactly similar comments made in the seventies and the eighties. Does this now mean that now anyone can publicly came that any case that is overturned by the court of appeal, automatically means bias by the first court?
ian ciappara
Dec 17th 2012, 09:58
the which hunt begins.... and this from the opposition benches......
M Gatt
Dec 17th 2012, 09:57
Din hija it-tolerranza zero li kien jitkellem Alfred Sant. Kull min jigi involut f'incidenti bhal dawn jigi mikxuf u ikkastigat sal-massimu tal-ligi! Dawn l-affarijiet ma jsirux fih dan il-gvern ta GonziPN!
They should be ashamed of themselves for letting such things go by.
Antonio Pace
Dec 17th 2012, 09:57
Trying to save his face following the weekend's comedy?
laurent caruana
Dec 17th 2012, 09:54
Sour grapes Anglu. Grow up and get over it!!!
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:47
Do you think we should all grow up and get over criminal acts, maybe the Karen Grech or Raymond Caruana cases?
How infantile if anybody needs to grow up its you, a criminal act is a criminal act even after 50, 100, or a thousand years.
Mario Tabone
Dec 17th 2012, 09:44
What a load of cobblers !!!! Whatever anybody says or does the voter is alone in the booth and can vote for whoever they like !!
Anglu Farrugia should know better ........his party in past elections have used intimidation to stop people from voting for the PN. Talking from personal experience, having been attacked by a PL minister and his mob while taking an OAP to vote !!!!
Maria Xuereb
Dec 17th 2012, 10:35
Mhux ghalhekk il-PN baghtu dawk l-ittri anonimi li ser jinghataw it-transfers, dak mhux thedd ukoll, forsi minn 1000 ikun hemm 5 li jghidulek nibza li nlaqqat transfer mela ha nivvota PN flok PL kif kont ha naghmel. Mela dawk li jkunu qed ipappuha kollha kemm huma jintimidaw lill-impjegati taghhom bi xi mod jew iehor jew li se jispiccaw bla xoghol ghax mhux ser niehdu izjed kuntratt etc, etc.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:45
Mr Tabone not with todays technology, although mobiles are illegal in polling boots they are used to photgraph the vote in order to collect ones dues.
Maybe even ask for assistance where reps from both side see you vote then a simple gesture will suffice.
Mark. Galea
Dec 17th 2012, 09:41
Mela fil-kaxxa tal-vot mhux wahdek tkun? Jien jekk igieghluni immur nivvota, nivvota kontra.
Mr Albert Dimech
Dec 17th 2012, 10:12
Int forsi iva, imma minn ikun mheded b'xogħolu x'jagħmel? Il-punt hu li f'aktar minn kas wieħed instab fil-qorti li kien hemm illegalitajiet u nies imġiegħla jivvotaw lill-PN meta kien se jagħmlu mod ieħor.
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 10:48
@albert dimech - kemm qed tahseb li hawn cwiec? U min jghidlek li ma kienx hemm kazijiet min-naha tal-labour jekk veru hekk? U dan is-sei min huwa li qal li gie mhedded? Halluna!!
Byron Abela
Dec 17th 2012, 09:40
That's exactly the purpose of an appeal.. are you undermining appeals Dr Farrugia..
Happens with every court decision that one can appeal and the previous decision is overruled.
Let's not be ridiculous.
Lawrence Fenech
Dec 17th 2012, 09:37
Qeghedin tajjeb. Prost Dr. Anglu Farrugia ghar rebha fl'Appell.
Mr Mike Farrugia
Dec 17th 2012, 09:33
Following last saturday's Xarabank, I have a feeling that PL simply does not want to win the forthcoming elections.
This water rates will be coming down because PL intends to lower electricty bills is an insult to intelligence.
Why didn't PL send Toni Abela instead of Dr. Farrugia? He was a mess.
A Cardona
Dec 17th 2012, 09:53
one sensible unbiased comment. Agree with you 100%
Lawrence Fenech
Dec 17th 2012, 09:55
@Farrugia.
Your arguement does not hold water.
John Micallef
Dec 17th 2012, 10:07
Whats d insult exactly? We use electricity to produce water...
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 09:33
€60 million can easily give one 20 years of government, what?
85,000 on the poverty line , a very fertile field to sow vote catching seeds, no wonder those who are entrusted with the welfare of the people do not address this issue.
Min ipartat u min ibieh, remember that TV programm that seems to have become a reality.
Marco Galea
Dec 17th 2012, 09:32
issa nafu x'ried ifisser JOSEPH MUSCAT meta qal li hemm bzonn riforma fil-gustizzja u jaf b'nies VALIDI (Laburisti) biex imexxuha
Viva l-AUDITING tal-labour!
Noel Gatt
Dec 17th 2012, 11:34
Ma naqbilx mieghek Marco li Laburisti biss huma validi. Gonzi wkoll ma jaqbilx mieghek ghax hlif nazzjonalisti ma jahtarx fil bordijied .L anqas Joseph Muscat ma jaqbel mieghek ghax dejjem jinsisti li Malta bzonn kulhadd.
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 09:28
Mela meta tmur tivvota l-imghallem ikun mieghek? Veru hazin jekk wiehed jghid lil xi hadd kif ghandu jivvota b'theddid jew rigali pero ma narax x'ghandu x'jaqsam id-differenza kif ivvutaw. Nixtieq xi hadd jispjegali kif ezempju xi hadd ihallasni biex nivvota ghal partit u immur nivvota wara l-pultiera u min tani l-flus ikun jaf kif ivvutajt.
Charles J. Buttigieg
Dec 17th 2012, 10:23
twanny, There's a simple answer, photograph the ballot paper or asking one of the assistant commissioners to vote for you claiming illiteracy or disablement.
m. borg (slm)
Dec 17th 2012, 11:40
Fl-elezzjoni ta' 1998 kien hemm rekord ta' nies li talbu l-assistenza biex jivvuta minhabba illiterizmu, x'kumbinazzjoni.
Huwa illegali li tiehu ritratt tal-vot imma donnu f'Malta kif jghidu ta' gonzipn KOLLOX POSSIBLI anke iddahhal mobile biex tiehu r-rittratt.
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 11:51
tiehu ritratti huwa kontra l-ligi u ma tithalliex. trid tkun imbicilli thallas il-flus biex tara ritratt ta' vot meta wiehed jista' jurik ritratt falz alterat ta' vot mill-hafna li jintbaghtu d-dar ukoll.
matthew tanti
Dec 17th 2012, 09:16
i'm sure she needs anglu to teach her the law! she should libel anglu farrugia for making such claims!
twanny borg
Dec 17th 2012, 10:39
Le assolutament ma naqbilx wiehed l-ewwel ghandu jkollu dritt iwiegeb u tigi imxandra t-twegiba. Ghandna nkunu tolleranti mhux nalqu halq in-nies b'xi libel inkluz ta' angelo farrugia li ma naqbilx mieghu. Id-demokrazija u r-rispett tal-opinjoni ghandhom jigu l-ewwel avolja jkunu iweggu. Jekk nibdew nalqu halq in-nies nohonqu l-liberta.
ANTHONY PAVIA
Dec 17th 2012, 11:15
"Mr Justice Mallia ruled that the Magistrate’s Court could not have reasonably arrived to the conclusion it had reached and, so, upheld the appeal,"
Might have a go at Mr Justice Mallia along the way, as well. Would it be asking too much of commentators to read the article before shooting their political prejudice off?
matthew tanti
Dec 17th 2012, 11:50
unreasonable does not mean that the reason behind her decision was political. otherwise we may start saying that Mr Justice Mallia reversed the decision because he has different political beliefs!
Charles J. Buttigieg
Dec 17th 2012, 14:24
Twanny you are forgetting the Party Assistant Commissioners. The system is risk free when done in league between the party and its agent. Surely you are intelligent enough and does not need me to spell out the mode in detail.
matthew tanti
Dec 17th 2012, 15:34
x'ghandu x'jaqsam? nobody can use the right of freedom of speech to slander others! le inhallu lil kulhadd jghid li jrid u jcappas u jhammeg lil min irid minghajr ma jkollhom dritt jiddefendu d-dritt taghhom il-qorti!
Please choose the reason of your report below: