A new magistrate who inherited the case against the directors of Chinese textile company Leisure Clothing today abstained from hearing the case as she had given legal advice in her previous post in the Attorney General's office. 

The case was originally being heard by Magistrate Carol Peralta but since he retired, his cases were reassigned to other magistrates. The case against Bin Han, 46, from San Gwann, and Jia Liu, 31, from Birzebbugia, was entrusted to newly-appointed magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, who previously occupied the post of Deputy Attorney General. 

Mr Han and Mr Liu stand charged with human trafficking and exploitation of Asian workers at the plant in Bulebel.

But when Magistrate Frendo Dimech called the case this afternoon, she said that she felt she could not possibly hear the case as she had given extensive legal advice to the police when they were investigating the case against the company's directors. 

She said she had also been heavily involved in legal advice given to the Department of Employment and Industrial Relations on the same case. She therefore ordered that the acts of the proceedings be sent back to the court registrar to assign the case to another magistrate.