The report of a magisterial inquiry into the Paqpaqli car show incident could not be given to this newspaper for “good reason”, the Justice Ministry said.

A request in terms of the Freedom of Information Act was submitted last month but Justice Minister Owen Bonnici’s secretariat refused to hand over a copy, saying several people had already been charged in court in connection with the incident. Handing the inquiry over to the press, the ministry said, could easily prejudice a fair trial.

Thirteen people, including a driver and many of the organisers of the charity motor show, were arraigned last month, Twenty-three people were injured when a supercar ploughed into spectators in October.

Could easily prejudice fair trial

Among the accused is millionaire driver Paul Bailey who, according to the findings of the magisterial inquiry, excerpts of which were published by Dr Bonnici last January, was mainly to blame for what happened. His Porsche 918 Spyder crashed into the crowd lining the runway at the airport after he lost control of the vehicle while driving at high speed.

The other accused are Tonio Darmanin, Tonio Cini, Agostino Degiorgio, Jonathan Tonna, Kevin Perry, Melvin Haber, Ian Keith Cilia Pisani, Jonathan Bruno, Julian Mannara, Christopher Sultana, David Bugeja and Brian Gatt.

They are all charged with having, through imprudence, carelessness and non-observance of regulations, involuntarily caused injuries of a grievous nature to various people and caused damages to a number of motor vehicles. All have pleaded not guilty.

During the arraignment on June 13, defence lawyers said they had “reservations” regarding the validity of the magisterial inquiry and the way it was held. They also complained they had not received a copy of the magistrate’s report.

According to excerpts released by Dr Bonnici, the magistrate concluded Mr Bailey was not a “professional driver” and the crash was the result of excessive speed and a lack of handling techniques. There were no mechanical failures with the car. “While the driver is a collector of cars, he doesn’t appear to have the necessary skills to drive such cars with such velocity,” the magistrate noted.