A magistrate yesterday criticised the Attorney General’s office for its insistence on prohibiting the managing director of Chinese manufacturing firm Leisure Clothing from attending a business meeting in Italy.

Magistrate Carol Peralta said the AG’s office was “failing to see the bigger picture” in objecting, for the third time, to a request filed by Bin Han, 46, to travel to Italy to attend a business meeting, accompanied by company lawyer Pio Valletta. As he overruled the objection, the magistrate granted Mr Bin permission to fly to Italy for the meeting but only after severely chastising the AG’s office.

“How is it possible that the AG continues to stop a managing director of one of the main manufacturing companies in Malta, on which the Maltese economy depends, from attending a business meeting?” the magistrate asked.

Magistrate Peralta granted Mr Han permission to travel, limiting the trip to Italy and ordering him to deposit his passport again in the acts of the court once he returned.

His application to travel was brought up during the compilation of evidence against Mr Han, from San Ġwann and marketing director Jia Liu, 31, from Birżebbuġa, who are charged with human trafficking and the exploitation of Chinese and Vietnamese workers at Leisure Clothing. They are pleading not guilty.

The magistrate, however, warned Mr Han about the consequences should he fail to adhere to the conditions:

“Notwithstanding the opposition of the AG, which is clearly not seeing the bigger picture and only has one thing in mind, the court is taking the risk and allowing you to attend this meeting. You could very well not come back to Malta but I think you have sufficient intelligence to know what the consequences would be for yourself and for your company.”

In a previous court sitting, the court heard that while Leisure Clothing employees were paid €70 a month for six 14-hour days per week, Mr Han received a performance bonus of €30,000 a year.

Lawyers Edward Gatt and Pio Valletta were defence counsel.