What the hell is this country?
While Joseph Muscat galloped around on his high-horse in parliament today, accusing the finance minister of conflict of interest – issa naraw meta jsir Charlie Mangion, hija – there was his former Super One newsroom colleague and current militant Laburista Veronique Dalli, defending that VAT Department scam-organiser in court and trying to get him off as lightly as possible.
Meanwhile, her Labour Party screams hysterically about the inadequacy of the penalty and the failure of ‘the government’ to proceed against the man severely. And her fellow Labour supporters throng the internet offloading comments about how justice isn’t being served.
Somebody should tell them that their third favourite erstwhile Super One newscaster is defence counsel.
timesofmalta.com – 18:26CET today
VAT fraud case punishment severe enough – defence counsel
Two lawyers today urged a court not to alter punishments against two men who pleaded guilty in the VAT fraud case last month. They were handed a suspended sentence, a general perpetual interdiction and a fine.
Their comments came in submissions on punishment following an appeal filed by the Attorney General.
Lawyer Veronique Dalli said that her client – VAT Department employee Carmel Deguara, who is currently suspended because of the proceedings – did not tamper with any documents. She therefore asked for the punishment to be confirmed and not to be increased to a jail term, as had been requested by the AG.
She also said that because of this general interdiction Mr Deguara would automatically lose his job and could never hold a warrant or work in the civil service.
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Can you tell Joseph about this, I am sure he’ll think he can improve Malta’s position (currently 114) despite recently loosing his chaperone Jason
http://hottestheadsofstate.wordpress.com/list/
…..who know Marisa can come in handy!
A lawyer has a moral, ethical AND legal obligation to get the best possible result for his client. Just as a prosecutor will strive to get a conviction and (normally) the heaviest sentence possible.
That is the way our system works.
[Daphne – And lawyers, like all other professionals except doctors asked for emergency assistance, have the right to refuse briefs, contracts and offers of work – which is why there are many people/companies whose offers of work I have turned down. I have always argued against this ‘two-hats’ problem, and I am not going to change my view now: it doesn’t just cast doubt on the integrity of the individual. It also makes people very cynical.]
Some of the best lawyers became famous by taking the most controversial cases even if the general public does not agree with it. It’s very different from a minister getting a free luxury ride with a businessmen who surprisingly is interested in casinos. The lawyer did his duty (as a lawyer) while the minister lacked it.
Big fish – small pond.
Your argument is baseless, lawyers are there to do just that, cioe try to minimise the sentences of their clients. Secondly just because she used to work for super 1 doesn’t mean she has anything to do with the labour party.
[Daphne – Yawn. And they can choose not to take up the brief in the first place – a less-than-fine point you insist on missing. Veronique Dalli has nothing to do with the Labour Party? Ahem.]
Have you seen Marisa Micallef Leyson’s first LP oeuvre? (apart from her letters to The Times that is) . It’s the advert for the Labour mass meeting: ‘familja wahda”. I thought it was a Cana advert at first glance.
[Daphne – Does it include single mothers? Besides, the thought of being in a familja wahda with people like Anglu, Toni and AST makes me break out in hives.]
No. She meant that with her party charity begins at home.
@
your point defeats the whole purpose doesn’t it? I take it that her intention was to build bridges and bring down barriers (class, ideological etc) enticing us to join the Labour family. But as you say who wants to be in the same family as Anglu and the rest?
It’s like the Pender Place ‘scandal’: Alfred Sant shouting “foul” while Charles Mangion scoops in Lm35,000 from the ‘scandalous’ contract. Same act, same circus, different clowns.
[Daphne – Charles Mangion has proved himself to be the Labour Party’s Achilles’ heel twice already: in government, and during the election campaign last year. Because of his extensive network of contact and contracts among big business and property developers, it will invariably happen again. You can’t mix politics with this kind of thing, and it’s even riskier when you plan to become finance minister.]
The other circus act is criticising the government about an issue while there are pending court cases on it. If the minister opens his mouth he would be compromising the government’s position in court.
Anglu did it when Censu Galea, then minister of transport, was taped without his knowledge by someone who was accused in court and defended by guess who.
[Daphne – By Anglu himself, as I recall. Ha ha haj. Tal-Mickey Mouse.]
Rubbish. Mangion was only acting in his professional capacity as a notary, in a transparent manner and for a remuneration fixed by law. No obligations or favours were involved.
[Daphne – The favour, and this should be obvious to you, is in giving the contract to Charles Mangion in the first place – though of course, he might have been selected for his brilliance, and for the skills he has which other notaries do not.]
Now we have another set of hats – the two hats of Charles Mangion: notary public and member of parliament. I am not objecting to Michael Falzon’s hat as the representative of the “ghaqda tad-dilettanti tan-nar”, though he can be wearing hats which Joe Public doesn’t know of.
“though he can be wearing hats which Joe Public doesn’t know of” was meant for Charles not Michael
Labour’s double standards always made me angry. They criticise the government about Fort St.Elmo and then leave the Pembroke buildings to deteriorate. I think the Pembroke buildings are scheduled. And where is FAA?