Three men who stand accused of planting a car bomb which failed to go off in Fgura in January, have been granted bail by Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi.

Lorenzo Callus, Paul Farrugia and Jonathan Farrugia are pleading not guilty to the attempted murder of Mario Scicluna and Elaine Galdes, participating in a criminal group, conspiracy to commit a crime and possessing explosive material for illicit purposes. 

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Mr Callus was separately charged with carrying a gun without a licence, as well as cannabis and heroin possession, while Jonathan Farrugia was charged with possessing cannabis in quantities that indicated it was not intended for personal use.

Paul Farrugia was charged with the possession of a large amount of contraband cigarettes.  

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Bail was granted against a personal guarantee of €70,000 and a deposit of €30,000 each after defence counsel argued that the accused were to be presumed innocent, and most of the evidence against them had already been heard by the court. They also argued that the three had strong ties in Malta and there was no risk of absconding.

The prosecution had objected to bail, also pointing to the criminal record of the accused. 

Police Inspector Keith Arnaud and Gianella Busuttil from the AG's office prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono, Arthur Azzopardi and Roberto Montalto represented the accused.