After resolving in its last sitting to make progress in the criminal proceedings against disbarred lawyer Patrick Spiteri, currently charged of misappropriation and fraud totaling some €7.4 million, a magistrate today granted the man three months within which to prepare his defence.

Since his extradition from England to Malta in May, the former lawyer has been kept in prison in spite of several requests for bail filed before three separate courts presiding over the proceedings.

Though the main argument for bail stemmed from the fact that prison conditions were proving detrimental to his health, causing a worsening of his symptoms related to Behcet’s syndrome, a secondary argument was based on his inability to physically access over 400 files of documents essential for preparing a valid defence.

When once again faced with this latter argument this morning, the court took up a suggestion forwarded by the director of the Corradino Correctional Facility to have 10 box files sent at a time to the prison wing wherein Dr Spiteri was being kept.

Upon hearing the prison director explain that 10 boxes had so far already been made available to the accused, defence lawyer Stefano Filletti promptly pointed out that he had taken those box files personally to his client in jail.

“Our question is that there are around 300 cardboard boxes with around 10 box files inside each. Would it be possible, instead of all the boxes being brought to the cell at once, for them to be brought up piecemeal?” the defence lawyer queried.

For the purpose of cutting down on further delays, the court ordered that the boxes where to be transferred to Corradino “obviously not all at one go” and then granted the defence three months within which to prepare its case.

“I’m putting the ball in your court. You have until the end of January,” were the final words of Magistrate Audrey Demicoli.