A court today decreed that there are sufficient grounds for Joseph Rodney Grima, a23-year-old Gozitan, to be indicted on charges of drug trafficking. Grima had his bail revoked earlier this week following the discovery of 15kg of cocaine in a Mercedes which arrived in Malta from Sicily last week.
Magistrate Neville Camilleri heard the testimonies of two customs officials Mario Mifsud and Neville Cesareo who, on 22 August, went to the police garage where the Mercedes was being kept and assisted in the search for drugs.
Mr Mifsud recalled how during the internal search, the back seat was removed and two inspection panels for the diesel tank were located. Once they were removed, there were 36 packages wrapped in blue plastic found inside and upon a field test on one of the packages, it was found to be cocaine. Mr Cesareo then reiterated the story almost word for word.
The accused's defence, led by Dr Joe Giglio, argued that he was being denied bail on the ground that Mr Grima might speak to or influence the witnesses in some way, however since the witnesses had just given their testimonies, there were no longer grounds to keep the man under arrest.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Jonathan Cassar, counter-argued that the investigation is still in its infancy considering the magnitude of the case. As such there may be more 'civilian witnesses' and granting bail might not be the best move.
Last Friday Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona granted Mr Grima bail against a deposit of €20,000 and a personal guarantee of €50,000 as well as grounding him in Malta. In reaction, the Attorney General filed an immediate appeal arguing that the accused could very well tamper with the evidence, as well as other things. Madame Justice Edwina Grima agreed with the AG last Monday ordering the man to be arrested anew.
The court concluded that there are more than sufficient grounds to carry on with the indictment on the grounds of drug trafficking, however the decision on the accused's bail and conditions will be announced tomorrow. Dr Giglio also appeal to the court to not impose conditions as harsh as the last bail conditions presented by Magistrate Micallef Trigona.
Mr Grima is represented by Dr Mario Mifsud, Dr Joe Giglio, Dr William Cuschieri and Dr Alfred Abela.
from The Malta Independent http://ift.tt/2bT6hZf
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