It just gets worse: the murdered man was Manuel Mallia’s client but the alleged murderer was Jose Herrera’s
The PS for Culture, until recently Jason Galea’s lawyer
The Minister for the Police, until recently Mario Camilleri’s lawyer
Jason Galea, who stands accused of murdering his brother-in-law Mario Camilleri and his nephew of the same name, has as his defence counsel in this case the trial lawyer Joe Giglio, who is not involved in politics.
But until recently, his defence counsel was Jose Herrera, PS for Culture and the man who wanted the police and justice portfolio. It turns out that Jason Galea was one of the two men who assaulted jeweller Frank Zampa in a botched robbery two years ago. Herrera was his lawyer.
So the PS for Culture knows rather a lot about the alleged murderer while the Police Minister knows rather a lot about the murdered men, and neither can speak – the Police Minister not even to the police in his portfolio – because of client confidentiality.
The Times, 29 July 2011
Another two men were arraigned yesterday in connection with the botched hold-up on a Valletta jeweller’s last year, a week after a third robber was jailed for his involvement in the crime that almost cost the shop owners’ father his life.
Michael Zahra, 39, of Valletta and Jason Galea, 37, of Birżebbuġa pleaded not guilty to trying to steal from Frank Zampa Jewellery in St Lucia Street on September 18.
They were also charged with holding 79-year-old Francesco Zampa against his will, seriously injuring him, being in illegal possession of a firearm and relapsing.
The attempted robbery took place when Mr Zampa was inside his son’s shop. A former top waterpolo player, he fought off three men who barged into the jewellery shop with the intention of stealing.
He was injured when a bullet grazed his cheek as a revolver went off at close range during a scuffle. The men ran away after Mr Zampa, thinking the gun was firing blanks, put up a ferocious fight despite blows raining down on him and having a taser gun fired at him.
Marcus John Calleja, 37, of Balzan, last Friday pleaded guilty to his involvement in the attempted hold-up and was jailed for three-years.
Magistrate Audrey Demicoli granted Mr Galea bail against a €2,000 deposit and a personal guarantee of €3,000. Mr Zahra remained in prison as he is serving time for another theft-related case. Police Inspectors Daniel Zammit and Joseph Mercieca prosecuted. Lawyer José Herrera was defence counsel.
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This picture of the PS for Culture looks like a scene from The Sopranos. Alfred Sant looks rather flustered in the background.
I think this is more like it:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AsxUDw3j6go/UNHutZohuWI/AAAAAAAAAzA/i98axzPB5Ok/s640/reservoir-dogs1.jpeg
Three years for armed robbery?
A haven for criminals.
Ten years for growing weed? A haven for black-robed crooks.
…and then they’re granted amnesty so they can get on with business
Does this mean that all criminal defence lawyers cannot be ministers or PS’s? Can they be MP’s? Can they be appointed judges or magistrates?
[Daphne – I think it stands to reason that somebody with a sizeable client base of murderers, gang members and cocaine traffickers should not be minister for the police or justice.]
Yes Daphne but in all fairness, the late Guido DeMarco ex-minister for Justice and Foreign affairs and subsequently President of the republic was also a top criminal lawyer defending seasoned criminals like Gianni Lepre and an endless list of others.
He was also constrained by giving information to the police due to professional secrecy.
[Daphne – Yes, and that’s why he should never have been minister for justice or the police. If your memory is long enough, you certainly won’t be able to accuse me of inconsistency on this particular score.]
It is also very relevant that Guido DeMarco is remembered much more vividly for his success in defending Maltese citizens from an MLP state police force engaged in framing innocent people, producing perjured affidavits to cover up murder inside the Police GHQ and destroying evidence that could incriminate those who were putting into practice Mintoff’s insistence on the legitimacy of political violence.
Script writers looking for ideas have their job made easy, if they only follow these real-life happenings in Malta.
Good old Frankie fought them off.
What a bunch of cowards.