Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1493799
8 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 MARCH 2023 MATTHEW AGIUS A man has been remanded in custody after a court was told how he had pulled a knife on his brother, while in the presence of police officers who subsequently found cannabis both on his per- son and at his residence. 35-year-old Jeffrey Schembri from Zejtun was arraigned before magistrate Victor Axiak on Tues- day by police inspectors Omar Zammit and Jonathan Cassar. Schembri was charged with at- tacking his brother, threatening him and causing him to fear that violence would be used against him. The defendant was also charged with carrying a knife in public without the necessary police per- mit and breaching the peace. He was further charged with illicitly cultivating cannabis plants and recidivism. Inspector Zammit told the court how yesterday, the Zejtun police station had received a report of a fight taking place in the street. Of- ficers dispatched to the scene had found Jeffrey Schembri arguing with his brother Christopher over an inheritance-related issue. "At one point," the inspector said, "Jeffrey pulled out a pen- knife with a blade over 8cm in length and attempted to attack his brother with it." He was re- strained by the police before any injuries could be inflicted. After Schembri was arrested, the police discovered that he had been carrying 28g of marijuana on his person. A search of his residence discovered further 14 small cannabis plants. Cross-examined by Schembri's lawyer Matthew Xuereb, the in- spector confirmed that the ac- cused's brother had given a dif- ferent version of events to that submitted by the accused. The lawyer claimed that his cli- ent "did not even know he had been arrested," but this was im- mediately contradicted by the inspector, who told the court that Schembri had been told the rea- sons for his arrest immediately upon being restrained and then had been given this information again at the police lockup, where he had also been informed about the drugs discovered in his pos- session. Xuereb told the court that the defendant had frequently report- ed his brother to the police, and asked the inspector why the At- torney General had requested his client's arrest on the basis of "a few broken plants." Inspector Zammit replied that this was a question which only the Attorney General could an- swer. Schembri pleaded not guilty and bail was requested. "If we take the drugs out of the equation, which all the evi- dence points to being for his own use, the crimes with which he is charged are mostly dealt with in summary proceedings," submit- ted the defence, adding that it had been the defendant who had asked for the police's assistance. "Yes, there is a family feud but his mother is present in the courtroom and will vouch for him," submitted the lawyer. The defendant's brother had not been injured in the assault, confirmed the inspector. The in- cident had also taken place in the presence of the police, said the inspector, describing defendant's version of events as having been "slightly confused." The court was told that the po- lice had not yet started investigat- ing the brother, as the criminal complaint requesting the inves- tigation had only been filed this morning. But after the court heard the prosecution's objections to bail, which included the fact that the victim and the defendant lived "almost next door" to each other, it denied bail. Magistrate Axiak explained that he was not convinced that the accused would be able to comply with his bail conditions, which would necessarily include him not approaching prosecution witnesses. Court told how police prevented Zejtun man from stabbing his brother Court told how accused pulled a knife on his brother, while in the presence of police officers, who subsequently found cannabis both on his person and at his residence MARIANNA CALLEJA ADRIAN Delia had offered the govern- ment cooperation to cancel the Steward hospitals concession and together fight the fraudulent contract in court but the offer was turned down. "I offered government the opportunity to work with me rather than with the foreign- ers. Government would still not have paid the €100 million penalty if we had proven together the deal was corrupt," Delia said on TVM's Xtra on Monday. Former minister Konrad Mizzi had signed a side agreement with Steward Healthcare in August 2019 by which the government would take on the company's debts and pay them a €100 million penalty fee if the contract was rescinded by the law courts. The court annulled all contracts awarded to Vitals and Steward on Friday and or- dered all property to be returned to gov- ernment. The PN is now demanding not only the resignation of all those responsible, but also the return of the €300 million govern- ment paid Steward over the past years. "This money was gifted by the govern- ment, one budget after the other," Delia said, adding that it was this money that helped Steward fight the court case against him. "I fought thanks to the strength and brains God gave me, they [Steward] fought with the millions the government gave them," Delia said. Justice Minister Jonathan Attard defend- ed the government, claiming that people "know what good" the government did in the health sector, aside from this scandal. Attard said the government was never in a position to terminate the contract before the court ruling because this was not in the best interest of the services offered at the three hospitals and their employees Government turned down Delia offer for cooperation to prove corruption in Steward deal Government turned down Delia offer for cooperation to prove corruption in Steward deal Adrian Delia on Xtra