President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami yesterday said he did not think he should comment on the jail sentence handed to former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo, but added he respected the trial judge's judgment.

The disgraced former Chief Justice was last Thursday sentenced to two years and nine months' imprisonment for accepting an €11,500 bribe to reduce a jail term of convicted drug trafficker Mario Camilleri, known as l-Imnieħru. The maximum sentence was four years and three months.

Dr Fenech Adami, who had made the corruption case public when he was Prime Minister in August 2002, said when contacted: "The primary significance of the judgment is that no one is above the law. I have no doubt that the judge took everything into consideration when he was preparing the punishment. I don't think I should comment on whether it was enough, but I have full confidence that the judge knew what he was doing."

Dr Arrigo was not sent to Corradino Prison but is being temporarily kept at the Forensic Unit of Mount Carmel mental hospital on doctors' orders. He has been diagnosed to be suffering from depression and has other health problems, according to medical sources.

Sources said Dr Arrigo was on medication and required constant attention.

Dr Fenech Adami said that some time before the press conference on August 1, 2002, Police Commissioner John Rizzo had gone to his office and had given him the police recordings.

During that news conference, called at short notice, Dr Fenech Adami had told the media Dr Arrigo and another judge, Patrick Vella, were being investigated in connection with bribery offences for reducing the jail term.

"I was very sad indeed. I would describe it as the saddest moment in my career as a politician and even as a lawyer.

"It was very frustrating," he said. The corruption case had shocked the Maltese judicial system. Asked whether he thought the harm had been undone, Dr Fenech Adami said he believed so.

"I think the Maltese judicial system managed to shake off the damage that was done. The Maltese still have a lot of confidence in the administration of the law courts and this was just the odd case out.

"That is why I think so many people felt so bad about all this."