Two Gozitan fireworks enthusiasts were yesterday fined €27,000 between them, following the discovery of explosive material in a garage beneath a discotheque in Victoria last March.

The explosive powder was discovered in a garage-turned-workshop owned by the La Stella Philharmonic Society, which immediately distanced itself from the discovery.

The garage is located directly beneath the popular clubbing destination Ku Club and the Astra Theatre, which often hosts community performances and operas in Victoria.

George Attard, 37, and his cousin Emanuel Buhagiar, 35, both from Victoria, Gozo, pleaded guilty to a number of charges related to the illegal production, importation, retention and carriage of fireworks.

The case dates back to March 13, when the police discovered the explosive material in the garage in Giuseppe Giardini Vella Street, Victoria. The garage had been passed by the philharmonic society to the two men to be used as a store but not to store any explosive material, the court heard. The two men were ordinary members of the society and played in the band but were not committee members.

Any person around could have been the victim of the egoism of others

Magistrate Joseph Mifsud, presiding over the Gozo court, heard the men plead guilty to all the charges brought against them. In his judgment, the magistrate noted how the illegal storage of explosive material in the garage in a residential area was “very serious”, not only for the men who stored the material there illegally but for the people living nearby, who were exposed to danger.

“Any person around could have potentially been the victim of the egoism of others and lack of responsibility,” the magistrate said.

He also noted that the philharmonic society had dissociated itself from the illegal explosives and that the discovery deviated the attention from the cultural activities the band club was organising.

In his considerations on punishment, Magistrate Mifsud said this should not only reflect the seriousness of the case but must also serve as a deterrent for other fireworks enthusiasts so they observe the law.

He also considered that the men had filed a guilty plea in the first available opportunity and that the prosecution and defence had agreed that a pecuniary punishment was the most suitable for the case.

He fined them €13,500 each and ordered them to pay the court expenses. Inspectors Frank Tabone and Bernard Spiteri prosecuted.

This is not the first case related to the illegal storage of fireworks.

Earlier this year, eight committee members of the Naxxar Peace Band Club were cleared of storing explosives in the club in 2008.

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