The values and morality of one Maltese judge
The Times reports today on Judge Farrugia Sacco and the Olympics tickets scandal which featured prominently in The Sunday Times (London) yesterday.
However in comments to The Times (Malta) he denied any claims of wrongdoing, saying: “We would never go against the rules of the International Olympic Committee ( IOC). It’s not worth it.”
How’s that for values, morality and a sense of right and wrong, eh? And bear in mind that this is one of Malta’s longest-serving members of the judiciary.
“It’s not worth it.”
Not “It’s wrong.” Or “rules are rules”. Or “to break the rules would be wrong.”
No. “It’s not worth it.”
Says it all, really.
Judge Farrugia Sacco was covertly filmed by The Sunday Times (London). The Times (Malta) reports this morning:
Among those secretly filmed were Mr Justice Farrugia Sacco and MOC general secretary Joseph Cassar.
In the footage, posted on the paper’s website, the two appear to be explaining how the rights on Malta’s allocated tickets for the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi (Russia) could be bought.
Mr Cassar also explained how the tickets could be marketed and sold within “subtle” bundle package deals at a mark-up.
And here’s what Farrugia Sacco told Christian Peregin of The Times:
“But they do not have any proof that any of us or the MOC executive in any way ever tried to do that.”
Proof. That’s where it begins and ends with this man.
But why am I not surprised? When, in 1984, I and others were prosecuted and arraigned in (then) Magistrate Farrugia Sacco’s court – by Inspector Anglu Farrugia – after a protest demo, Farrugia Sacco’s clerk openly took a fiver off each of us as “administration fees”. He was sitting directly below Farrugia Sacco at the time.
I remember telling my then boyfriend, now my husband “I didn’t know you had to pay the court for the favour of allowing it to prosecute you.” His response? “That clerk takes money under those false pretences. He’s known for it.”
Here’s the best bit: in those days you couldn’t do anything about it or report it to anyone.
And there are absolutely no prizes for guessing which political party Farrugia Sacco roots for. And I mean roots for, not merely votes for. It’s one of the reasons – there are obvious others – why he’s such a good chum of Magistrate Herrera’s.
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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120618/local/no-wrongdoing-in-olympics-ticket-sting.424793
Just what I thought. Ma jisthix wiccu.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120618/local/house-committee-discusses-party-funding-law.424909
Has Allied Newspapers bought the new version of Adobe Photoshop Collage Edition?
What is this newspaper doing? Employing 12 year-olds with their scrapbook skills?
Spot on. It’s probably the same 12 year-old who designed the header graphic with the two kitchen knives for the Duncan Zammit/Nicholas Gera murder.
That’s limiting ourselves to graphic design skills. If we had to go into actual report content, we could create a Mock-The-Times blog and have enough material to write about to last us a lifetime.
Ah. Good to know I wasn’t the only one with these sentiments upon reading the article.
He is the father of a Labour star kendidejt after all, isn’t he? I always hate to generalise, but it invariably tends to come back to this, doesn’t it.
At least , this judge is not known to sleep around with practically half the police force.
[Daphne – I wouldn’t take bets on that.]
It does and may not be a coincidence.
They call it associazione a delinquere, which becomes di stampo mafioso as soon as a vertical hierarchy involving politicians, businessmen and ‘pezzi dello stato’ with the intent to from an antistate, is identified.
Where’s Franco when you need him?
I believe his son will be contesting the next general elections with the PL. And the tradition continues.
Being a ‘pinnur’ is in their DNA.
As far as I know his son is a Labour candidate after spending years as president of the Kazin ta’ San Guzepp of Hamrun.
Lino himself was at one time president of the same band club.
Lino’s father was at one time director of agriculture under a Borg Olivier Administration even though it was well-known that the family were Mintoff sympathizers.
Do they have a weather vane on the family coat-of-arms?
Unbelievable. Maybe he tried to hint at the ex-chief justice (Arrigo) in that it’s not ‘worth it’ for 10K.
… and the IOC thought the Malta Olympics Committee were doing the right thing and making tickets available to the population at large! They allocate tickets to each members for distribution within that country.
You can see the machinations of ticket allocations to themselves and their hbieb – and what’s left they on-sell to the touts – and who pray, pockets the proceeds?
These two individuals should be taken to task and be investigated.
Besides – I thought magistrates and judges were meant to lead an exemplary life and not be involved with organisations such as this.
I guess if the other ‘helu’ – ta’ Marlene tat-Toys u l-Cat Siuts – can stay involved with basketball, why shouldn’t Farrugia Sacco be involved with the Malta Olympics Committee?
They deliberately ignore the code of ethics.
[Daphne – You clearly don’t know the best bit: George Abela was their lawyer before the Commission for the Administration of Justice, before he became president and ended up heading that commission.]
Clearly, the expression ‘wheels within wheels’ is not sufficient to describe the situation within the Commission for the Administration of Justice.
Mur gibhom fil-gvern dawn. And where is Alfred Sant? Wasn’t he who wanted to free Malta from the shackles of the ‘establishment’?
Jaqq biss tista tghid.
Daphne, I can assure you that Judge Lino Farrugia Sacco is an honest and admirable gentleman.
His social life is impeccable and attendance at one of Consuelo Scerri Herrera’s parties does not automatically make him dishonorable.
He is also just and fair with lawyers. The same applies to retired judge Philip Sciberras whom you harshly criticised some time ago. On the other hand you would do well to check on the background of a particular magistrate who became judge in the final months of Labor’s Sant administration. Absolutely despicable and destined for the very top.
[Daphne – Your views about Farrugia Sacco are amusing. I doubt that Philip Sciberras would be thrilled to find himself mentioned in the same ‘keffa’. Farrugia Sacco did not go to “one” of Consuelo Herrera’s parties. He is one of her closest associates.]
Have you not yet realised that in Malta we have two sets of values/religion. We are a nation of hypocrites who believe we are the be all and end all of the world.
[Daphne – Moral relativism.]
Isn’t his son a Labour candidate?
[Daphne – Yes.]
And what happens to his case load when he’s at the Olympics?
He defers them for when the next Olympics are due I guess.
And if his son does not get elected he will eventually be appointed magistrate or judge, like daddy.
The judge presided over the worst years in the history of the San Guzepp Band Club in Hamrun. He managed to create an incredibly poisoned atmosphere that was rapidly leading the organisation downhill. And he would not move, even in the knowledge that he was not wanted by the majority.
Finally, after years of strife, he agreed to a compromise deal, where his two sons took over as President and Secretary respectively. Thankfully, their supremely unimpressive leadership was short lived and the Farrugia Sacco legacy was put to rest, hopefully forever.
Soon after the family cleared off, the Band Club regained its place as the best organised and most popular in Hamrun.