A man out on bail on a separate case has pleaded not guilty to grievously injuring another man in the course of an argument at a Sliema residence. 

Libyan national Ibrahim Ben Jeddi, 36, who is unemployed and resides in Swieqi, was charged on Sunday morning before Magistrate Aaron Bugeja. He was also accused of causing slight injuries to two other men who were in the same residence, and causing less than €250 in damages to the property.

Police inspector Mark Mercieca also charged Mr Ben Jeddi with  breaching the bail conditions issued by another court. He is facing separate proceedings for the attempted murder of two Maltese bouncers whom he attacked with a “Samurai sword” in May 2016.

The court heard that on Friday evening at around 8.30pm, Mr Ben Jeddi together with another man turned up outside the victims’ apartment in Sliema, forced open the door and entered inside. Subsequently a fight broke out. 

The three men inside, all Swedish nationals aged 32 and friends, were allegedly attacked by the accused. Mr Ben Jeddi was subsequently arrested by the Rapid Intervention Unit in Swieqi. However, the other alleged aggressor is still on the run. 

The men had some history between them, with the accused claiming that the victims owed him money.

Mr Ben Jeddi requested bail, but the prosecution objected saying it was “premature” to release him from arrest due to the seriousness of the charges. The prosecution added that there were fears that he would approach the witnesses, and that his alleged accomplice whose identity was still unknown had not been traced yet.

Moreover, Inspector Mercieca noted that during interrogation the accused had already expressed his intention to have another go at reclaiming his money. The court also heard that the defendant was not reliable as he has breached the bail conditions of a separate case.

The defence insisted that the fact that his client was under bail meant that he had a link with Malta and would not abscond. Furthermore, the fact that Mr Ben Jeddi would keep insisting for his money did not necessarily mean that he would resort to violence to do so, but that he would seek recourse through legal means. 

However, the court denied the bail request. Magistrate Bugeja noted that the defendant did not have a clean criminal record and urged the prosecution to track down the other aggressor and summon the witnesses in the first sitting. 

Lawyers Alfred Abela and Arthur Azzopardi were defence counsel.