Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1066826
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 DECEMBER 2018 of evidence against the three men accused of her murder and a number of related Con- stitutional proceedings, a sec- ondary court battle between the authorities and activist Manuel Delia arose from Oc- cupy Justice's use of the Great Siege memorial in front of the law courts which was turned into a makeshift memorial to the slain journalist. Murders which shocked the nation Several terrible murders were committed this year. Michael Emmanuel, 28, was accused of murdering his partner, Maria Lourdes Agius, at the family home in Paola in September. Agius was a mother to seven children, three of who were fathered by Emanuel. Autopsy results revealed that Agius was strangled. Earlier, in August, 30-year- old Shannon Mak from Hol- land was brutally murdered, allegedly by her ex-boyfriend Jelle Rijpma, who had sponta- neously confessed to the mur- der whilst being interrogated, a court was told. Rijpma, now charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend had allegedly told police how he had grabbed a knife dur- ing an argument between the two and slashed the woman's throat on the street. Paceville mogul Hugo Chet- cuti was murdered in July in a stabbing at one of his own establishments. Bojan Cmelik, a former employee of Hugo Chetcuti's has been charged with the murder. Alberto Chang Rajii Alberto Chang Rajii, who is wanted in Chile to face charges of investment fraud through a Ponzi scheme run by his company Grupo Arca- no, won his extradition battle and will stay in Malta. He had been arrested in Malta in 2016 and released on bail against a €100,000 deposit. He is now a free man, his extradition hav- ing been barred by the Court of Criminal Appeal. Paqpaqli Court cases borne of the su- percar accident at Paqpaqli Ghall-Istrina are for the most part winding down this year, with some victims receiving compensation from the Malta Community Chest Fund and others in out of court settle- ments. President Marie Lou- ise Coleiro Preca testified in February telling the court of her anguish at the plight of the victims, but distancing herself from the organisation of the event. Meanwhile, the com- pilation of evidence in crimi- nal proceedings against the event organisers continues. Erin Tanti The compilation of evi- dence against Erin Tanti has ended with him being placed under a bill of indictment to stand trial for the murder of Lisa Maria Zahra. Tanti had filed an appeal to the court's rejection of his objections to the Bill of Indictment and insisted that the Attorney General could not accuse him both of mur- der and with assisting a sui- cide, as the charges were al- ternative to each other. Rare presidential intervention in bail President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca invoked a rarely-used power to grant sick prisoner Christopher Bartolo bail pending a de- cision on his appeal by the Court of Criminal Appeal. The announcement was made upon the recommenda- tion of Cabinet on the basis of a specific provision in the Criminal Code allowing the President to grant Bartolo bail. Bartolo is currently serving a five-year prison sentence af- ter he was found guilty of traf- ficking 1.5kg of cannabis last February. "Heroin Highway" jury Herman McKay, who was facing the prospect of a life sentence on charges of traf- ficking heroin walked out of court a free man last March, having been put on probation instead. McKay, 34, from Marsa, was acquitted by a jury of traffick- ing half a kilogram of heroin, with the court finding him guilty of simple possession of the drug instead. McKay had been arrested in his hometown in August 2007 and had allegedly tried to throw the drugs from his car, where they spilled onto the road. Piss poor And what would the year be without someone being caught with his pants down? Cue: the story about the drunk man who ended up be- ing fined €4,050 for attack- ing police whilst urinating in public. Here's to another crazy year in court. Hip hip! NEWS OFFICE OPENING HOURS Identity Malta Agency Passport Unit, Public Registry Unit & Identity Cards Unit 14:00 26th December 2018 2nd January 2019 季 Identity Malta Agency, Onda Building, Aldo Moro Street, Marsa MRS 9065, Malta Apologies for any inconvenience caused.