The decision to grant bail to two men charged with double murder was not taken lightly, a judge said yesterday as he upheld the decision to release the men following an appeal from the Attorney General who had wanted bail revoked.

Jason Galea, 39, of Birżebbuġa and George Galea, 41, of St Julian’s, were granted bail last week but have yet to be released after failing to make the hefty bail deposit of €30,000 each. They have so far spent more than a year in jail pending the testimony of witnesses.

They are denying brutally murdering convicted drug trafficker Mario Camilleri, also known as l-Imnieħru, and his 21-year-old son Mario Jr whose bodies were found in a Birżebbuġa field.

The Attorney General appealed the bail decision, while defence lawyers Joe Giglio, appearing for Jason Galea, and Giannella de Marco and Steve Tonna Lowell for George Galea, appealed the amount to be deposited and the condition imposed for bail: house arrest.

In his decree yesterday, Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi said that the Attorney General’s appeal was on the grounds that the crime committed was the most serious at law.

But the judge also noted that the majority of witnesses had testified and proceedings had reached an advanced stage. The Magistrates’ Court had been very cautious in taking the decision to grant bail and he did not feel he needed to disturb the court’s discretion.

He also ruled that the deposit was appropriate while he allowed the men out under curfew instead of being under house arrest.

In a separate case, Jason Galea also stands charged with a third murder together with Ronald Urry, 49, of Paola. They are pleading not guilty to murdering 27-year-old taxi driver Matthew Zahra whose bones were found in the same field as the Camilleris’.

Mr Galea and Mr Urry were granted bail in that case too, under the same conditions as the first: a deposit of €30,000 each and a personal guarantee of €30,000.