A magisterial inquiry is under way to establish how an unspecified number of ecstasy pills went missing from court, the Times of Malta has learnt.
The inquiry was ordered by Attorney General Peter Grech as soon as he was informed about the missing pills.
Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, who had already started investigating the disappearance of three kilograms of cannabis resin that could not be found in the court strongroom, is conducting the second inquiry as well.
The disappearance of the cannabis resin was reported by the Maltese language daily In-Nazzjon last week. Sources said that soon after it was realised the cannabis had gone missing, the court authorities also found out that a package containing ecstasy pills had also disappeared.
Attorney General orders inquiry
The sources said that Dr Grech had written immediately to the inquiring magistrate, as he is empowered by law to do, asking her to also look into the case of the missing ecstasy pills.
The sources said that the drugs in question were exhibits in pending criminal proceedings against two men.
The drugs are believed to have been missing since 2004 or 2005, when the suspects were arraigned.
New procedures governing the use of the court strongroom and added security features in recent years made it very difficult for anything to go missing
The missing cannabis was meant to be presented as evidence in a trial by jury scheduled to start last week before Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi. The trial had to be postponed as a result.
Investigations so far indicate there was no record of whether the drugs were presented in court as evidence or if the drugs were handed over directly to the court-appointed expert or through the presiding magistrate, the sources said. The same magistrate and expert happened to be involved in both cases, they noted.
When contacted, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici said he could not comment in view of the magisterial inquiry.
“I will be able to comment at the end of the independent magisterial inquiry, which started at the request of the Office of the Attorney General,” Dr Bonnici said.
The sources said new procedures governing the use of the court strongroom and added security features in recent years made it very difficult for anything to go missing.