A fireworks manufacturer has been fined €450 for being in possession of explosives that were not covered by his licence.

The police found the explosives  at a residence in Triq Is-Sindku P. Vella,  Zebbug in May 2008.

Licence A holder Joseph Calleja, 67, from St Paul's Bay, had pleaded not guilty to being in possession of, importing, storing and transporting the explosives. Mr Calleja was in charge of the 12th May Fireworks Factory.

The court heard how the explosives were found at the house, which belonged to Carmel Falzon, 56, from Żebbuġ, holder of licence B, and who worked at the same factory as Mr Calleja.

Mr Falzon was jailed for two years in separate proceedings.

In that case, the court heard how Mr Falzon was caught after the police received an anonymous phone call about a large amount of fireworks that were being kept on the roof of his house.

Mr Falzon had been given a permit to let off a limited number of fireworks but officers who visited his house found that he had manufactured and stored fireworks well beyond the permitted amount. They also found that the fireworks were larger than what was supposed to be let off from the roof of a house.

In a statement to the police, Mr Falzon said he was a licence B holder, which authorised him to help more qualified people in the manufacture of fireworks.

He said he worked at the 12th May Fireworks Factory and would sometimes take explosives home with him to mix and manufacture. He would transport them in his car and take them back once they were ready. Mr Falzon said this was not dangerous because the substance was not that powerful.

In testifying in the case against Mr Calleja, Mr Falzon said that Mr Calleja had no idea that he had taken explosive material home to mix and manufacture.

In his own testimony, Mr Calleja said that when he took the fireworks which were allowed by the police permit, to the house, he was not allowed to Mr Falzon’s home. It was then that he became suspicious so he left and returned with the President of the local band club to find police there.

Magistrate Doreen Clarke said that Mr Calleja was not attentive enough to what was going on inside the factory when it came to what was going on with the material and he was not adequately controlling the people allowed in but this behaviour was not incorporated into the charges.

She found him guilty of being in possession of fireworks over and above what his licence catered for. She noted that he had a clean police record, had never been found guilty of anything related to fireworks and should not be condemned for Mr Falzon’s behaviour.