Criminal proceedings began today against the president, vice-president and retired director general of the Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU) who are pleading not guilty to perjury and subornation of witnesses.
The case is over their alleged involvement in the alleged attempt to distort the course of justice in a criminal case against developer, Sandro Chetcuti, who has been convicted of assault.
GRTU president Paul Abela, 64, from Naxxar, deputy president Philip Fenech, 60, from Sliema and Vince Farrugia, a 71-year-old pensioner from St Paul’s Bay, appeared before Magistrate Doreen Clarke.
The proceedings relate to their testimonies in the case against Mr Chetcuti over what really happened in March 2010 when Mr Chetcuti assaulted Mr Farrugia at the association’s offices in Valletta.
Mr Chetcuti had originally been accused of Mr Farrugia's attempted murder but the prosecution had dropped this charge.
He was convicted of having slightly injured Mr Farrugia. He was condemned to a one month jail term suspended for one year.
The court, presided by then magistrate Edwina Grima, had also ordered the Commissioner of Police to investigate Mr Farrugia and other witnesses who may have testified falsely before the court.
During the first sitting held this afternoon, Police Inspector James Grech gave the court a detailed account of the different versions the three had given when they had spoken to police soon after the incident as well as their versions when they testified in court.
Inspector Grech said he had found inconsistencies in the versions the defendants had given the police on the day of the incident when compared to how they had testified in court. He also mentioned a long list of text messages in which there appeared to have been a concerted effort to agree on what to say in court.
The CID inspector said there were several text messages exchanged between Mr Farrugia, Mr Abela and Mr Fenech that indicated that witnesses were being coached to give false evidence.
Mr Grech said of particular interest to the police was how a GRTU employee, Sylvia Gauci, had withdrawn her testimony in court and had said she did not want to lie anymore.
She had told the court that GRTU employees had agreed on a fictitious version of events to tell the police about the incident and how Mr Farrugia had contacted her several times insisting that she should stick to this account.
The case continues next month.
Police Inspector Saviour Baldacchino prosecuted while lawyers Giannella de Marco, Steve Tonna Lowell and Joe Giglio were defence counsel. Lawyer Edward Gatt appeared for Mr Chetcuti.