Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1451574
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 16 FEBRUARY 2022 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Galea Farrugia was making submissions before three judg- es presiding the Court of Crim- inal Appeal, as it continued to hear arguments in an appeal filed by George and Alfred Degiorgio over their continued detention in pre-trial custody on charges of having murdered journalist Daph- ne Caruana Galizia in 2017. In submissions before Chief Jus- tice Mark Chetcuti and judges To- nio Mallia and Joseph R. Micallef this morning, the Degiorgio broth- ers' lawyer, William Cuschieri argued that a balance should be struck between the importance of the case and the accused's funda- mental rights. He said that it may be true that a "web of criminality" was involved in this case, but that this did not mean that the presumption of in- nocence should be "thrown out of the window." Cuschieri said it was true that there were third parties involved, amongst them Melvin Theuma, who he said, had phoned up the accused in prison to bolster their morale. Theuma had also told them of a plan to bribe a judge, said the law- yer, adding that the Degiorgios had not been implicated in this. Degiorgio brothers 'wanted to reveal more information' The defence also argued that the Degiorgio brothers had made two requests for a pardon in return for evidence implicating third parties, but that these requests had been refused. In his counter-arguments, op- posing bail, the Deputy Attorney General said that it was true that there were "indications of the in- volvement of third parties." He disagreed with the defence's as- sertion that the fear of the ac- cused contaminating evidence or approaching witnesses was simply theoretical. Galea Farrugia pointed out that just a few months after the Degior- gios' arraignment, other persons had been charged in connection with the murder – Yorgen Fenech, the tal-Maksar brothers and Jamie Vella. "The probability is that there are other persons also in- volved," he said. The prosecutor's submissions contradict the statement made by Commissioner of Police Ange- lo Gafa' to the press in February last year, after the arraignment of Jamie Vella together with tal-Mak- sar brothers Robert and Adrian Agius. "We are in a position to say that every person involved, be it mastermind or accomplice, is un- der arrest or facing charges," Gafa had announced at a press briefing. The court announced that it will be issuing its decree on the bail re- quest from chambers. Lawyer Jason Azzopardi ap- peared parte civile for the Carua- na Galizia family. 'Other persons' probably also involved in Caruana Galizia murder, Deputy AG tells judge Grech insists 'Abela sent One's drone over my house', despite denial Vince Muscat 'il-Kohhu' pleaded guilty for his part in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia NICOLE MEILAK OPPOSITION leader Bernard Grech is standing by his claims that Prime Minister Robert Abela ordered Labour media station One news to send a drone over Grech's house. After a press conference on Monday, Grech gave a chron- ological review of his version of events. He explained that his family noticed a drone flying low near the house, after which Grech filed a report with the Police Commissioner. "He took first steps and said he's investigating. A few mo- ments later Abela is caught with having sent a drone over my house." During an interview on Monday, Robert Abela hit out at Bernard Grech for owning a house with a swimming pool, despite having declared modest incomes over the years. It seems that his comments during the interview came af- ter the drone incident. Meanwhile, Abela categorically denied any involvement on Tuesday. He said he will be taking Grech's word that it actually happened, but said he had nothing to do with the incident. "If this is true, not only do I completely condemn it but I must say I believe that family life should remain completely separate from political life." Grech first made the allegation during an interview on the Nationalist Party's media station. He accused Robert Abela of ordering One news to fly a drone over his home in order to "invent a story" on him. "If One News had knocked on my door I would have invit- ed them in and given them a tour of my home," he had said. No story has emerged from One news over Bernard Grech or his house. Abela denied any involvement in this, but Bernard Grech stands by his allegation