And while we were looking the other way…
Magistrate Carol Peralta has released from remand the two Chinese men facing human trafficking and exploitation charges in the scandalous Leisure Clothing case.
Bin Han and Jia Liu were allowed to go free yesterday after paying €10,000 in bail money and pledging another €25,000.
Peralta’s justification is that they have a vested interest in keeping the factory going and so will not abscond. Perhaps he hasn’t yet worked out that they don’t actually own the factory and merely work for it, and that with his Maltese passport Bin Han needn’t flee to China – especially given that the Chinese government almost certainly expects him to stay and be the fall guy for its crimes in Malta.
I quote Times of Malta now:
He said fleeing from Malta would not only jeopardise their position but also that of the company. “The consequences would be hallucinating,” he said.
Did he really say that – hallucinating?
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huma bullijiet bera bullijiet dawn in-nies.
http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-11-19/local-news/Two-Leisure-Clothing-directors-denied-bail-after-accused-of-9-charges-including-human-trafficking-6736125992
Can some explain how this works?
And what COMPANY is he talking about.
Please
We would be really really angry and disgusted if Mr Han would get away from the justice he deserves.
Best not to use Joseph Muscat’s language.
It’s what he wants: An argument on his terms with his vocab.
Was Peralta talking about them or him at the end?
How convenient it was for him to forget that we were told Mr. Han had his bags packed and tickets to China via Rome. How is that for a hallucination?
I suppose he is letting them go to pay their staff the peanuts they keep for them in the company safe.
Or maybe they have a new consignment of Vietnamese slaves on the way and they wish to give them a welcoming party.
Let us not forget that this is the same Peralta of the Mellieha gay jibe fame.
We already know that he has funny ideas about geography and society. Perhaps now he has new theories about the conduct, incentives and motives of criminals.
Let us not forget one of the days which made us lament the loss of sanity.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121009/local/australian-seriously-injured-after-gay-jibe-accused-conditionally-discharged.440305
I had no idea that Chinese people could become Freemasons. Well, one of them is actually Maltese.
Perhaps Harmony 10 is locally represented at Villa Blye, Corradino Hill, Paola, registered with the police as file Club/Dist/3/26.
http://www.harmony10.com/home
Irish Lodge.
So one assumes they were allowed to go back to where all the proof is/was, to continue to do what they were doing, which was the reason they were charged in the first place. Now however they can make sure that no one else makes a peep.
Are there any other cases where a person in a position of power was charged with abusing subordinates and the person was allowed to continue to have access to records and subordinates?
Or would Magistrate Peralta perhaps qualify and justify this decision by saying that this is what is appropriate for Zejtun, because of the different mentality there?
Didn’t the police find one of them with his suitcase ready packed?
One of the two Chinese had a packed suitcase and a ticket to Rome.
But what struck me most in the defence counsel’s argiment was that after all only a few employees complained.
So it’s OK to screw employees as long as they do not complain.
A very sound argument indeed.