A judge has ordered the re-arrest of a man brought to Malta on the strength to two European Arrest Warrants, saying he did not offer enough guarantees to be granted bail.

The revocation of bail came after the Attorney General filed an urgent appeal before the Criminal Courts to have the bail granted to Oliver Vella, 26, revoked.

Mr Vella was extradited to Malta from the UK to continue facing a 2004 aggravated possession and trafficking of cocaine case.

Before Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras, the 26-year-old who now lives in London, pleaded guilty to the drug charges on which he was extradited to Malta through a European Arrest Warrant.

His case had started being heard before Mr Vella left Malta for the UK. His case was put off until he was found again and a warrant of arrest was issued.

When he was traced in London, the British police arrested him and extradited him to Malta.

The court ordered a pre-sentencing report after defence lawyers Michael and Lucio Sciriha said their client had turned over a new leaf.

In the meantime, he was granted bail against a personal guarantee of €15,000 and ordered to sign the bail book twice a day.

But Madam Justice Edwina Grima heard Assistant Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia argue that Mr Vella did not satisfy the conditions to be granted bail.

He was living in a Sliema hotel, so he did not have a fixed address, and neither did he have any ties to the Maltese island.

In revoking bail, Madam Justice Grima noted that Mr Vella had absconded from Malta and disappeared for almost 10 years. She also noted that one of the reasons why bail had been granted was because the prosecution, led by Police Inspector Nezren Grixti, had not objected to the request.