The Registrar of the Criminal Court, Paul Miruzzi, in a statement this afternoon explained how “conviction tickets” were issued by the courts against AD leader Harry Vassallo after two convictions by the courts.
He explained that on November 17, 2005 Dr Vassallo, as a person registered with the VAT Department, was arraigned before the Magistrates’ Court and accused of having failed to conform to a sentence against him handed down by the Magistrates’ Court on November 5, 2002. He was accused of having failed to obey a Court order to comply with the law within two months failing which he would be fined a penalty of Lm6 for every day that the original fine remained unpaid.
Dr Vassallo told the Court that he was a lawyer and did not require legal counsel. After hearing the prosecution and Dr Vassallo and considering the evidence, the Court condemned Dr Vassallo to pay Lm3,954.
On August 3, 2007 the Registrar of the Criminal Courts was informed of a petition to the President, dated January 3, 2006, with regard to the court sentence. On September 18, 2007 the Registrar was informed that the petition had been turned down.
On September 27, 2007 the Registrar issued a conviction ticket against Dr Vassallo and passed it on to the police for execution,
It also resulted to the Registrar that on September 28, 2006 the Courts had handed down another sentence against Dr Vassallo. Dr Vassallo had faced the same charges but over a different period of time,
After considering the evidence, the Court convicted Dr Vassallo and fined him Lm2,100.
After having verified that there was no other plea for a Presidential pardon, the Registrar on September 27, 2007 issued another conviction ticket against Dr Vassallo and passed it on to the police for execution.
In a reaction, Ralph Cassar on behalf of Alternattiva Demokratika said the registrar's statement did not say anything knew, but it was shameful how, at the climax of an electoral campaign, a public officer had been used in this way in a mater of political controversy. He accused the PN of arrogance and of blurring the distinction between party and government.