German social workers told Appogg they opted to secretly fly the children to Germany because the process in Malta was taking too long, a Gozo court heard this morning.
Joseph Antoncich from the Child Protection Services told Magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri that this was what their German counterparts soon after the children were abducted from Malta.
He was asked to testify as the court continued hearing the case filed by mother Sabrina Albrecht, who is requesting the court to order the return of her two children, Jerimias and Jaydan, back to Malta.
The court was also being asked to order an inquiry into how the children were secretly removed from Malta while under the care of Appogg. However, the agency's lawyers argued that there was no need for this as the government had already ordered an independent inquiry into what had happened.
The inquiry was ordered after Magistrate Vella Cuschieri on Wednesday harshly criticised Aġenzija Appogg, saying it was “less able” to take care of the children than the mothers.
The case concerns three German children who were placed under an “emergency temporary order” with Appogg after one of them was found roaming around in a Marsalforn field on his own.
Although the German social workers said the process in Malta had been taking too long, it emerged in court today that no proceedings had yet been initiated by the time the children were abducted and taken to Germany.
This was confirmed by lawyers appearing for the agency in reply to a question by Magistrate Vella Cuschieri who also asked whether Appogg had filed an application to have the children returned to Malta.
Even in this case, the reply was negative, with the lawyers saying they had been told by the Germans that there were no sufficient grounds to request the children's return because the children were not removed from their habitual residence, which is Germany, not Malta.
The case continues next week.