Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532501
2 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2025 2 MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt ON Tuesday, defence lawyers representing a group of law- yers and adjudication com- mittee members in the Vitals case called for the magisterial inquiry prompting the arraign- ments to be dismissed. The defence representing lawyers Deborah Anne Chap- pell, Kevin Deguara, Kenneth Deguara, and Jean Carl Far- rugia, as well as adjudication board member Robert Borg ar- gued that the inquiry breached the suspects' legal rights. Defence lawyer Franco Debono insisted that the in- quiry should be completely re- moved from the case records, insisting that when inquiries are initiated by private indi- viduals, the law grants sus- pects certain rights that were not upheld in this instance. According to legal provi- sions, a suspect must be in- formed before an inquiry be- gins, given the opportunity to respond, and allowed to ap- peal if the magistrate decides to proceed with the investiga- tion. While the original suspects, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, were afforded these rights, the current accused were not. Debono argued that anyone who becomes a suspect during an inquiry should receive the same legal protections as the original suspects. Defence lawyers Arthur Az- zopardi, Stefano Filletti, Jon- athan Thomson, and Ezekiel Psaila supported the request. However, prosecutors Franc- esco Refalo and Rebekah Spi- teri from the Attorney Gener- al's office opposed the motion, stating that the request was premature and could be ad- dressed at a later stage. The magistrate instructed the de- fence to submit a formal ap- plication, to which the prose- cution would respond. Earlier in the hearing, pros- ecutors informed the court of their intention to have court expert Jeremy Harbinson present his findings via a letter of request rather than testify- ing in person. Debono questioned the jus- tification for this approach, arguing that witnesses are typically required to appear in court. The defence also noted that media reports suggested Har- binson was unwilling to trav- el to Malta, although this was not reflected in the case re- cords. Prosecutors were asked to provide evidence support- ing their request. Vitals case: Defence wants inquiry dismissed as evidence Russian and US officials in Saudi Arabia for talks on Ukraine Plane overturns in Toronto RUSSIAN and American officials met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday to begin talks on negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine. However, the absence of Ukrainian representa- tives at the meeting has raised concerns about the future of the peace process. The first round of talks between US and Rus- sian officials concluded with Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov saying the negotiations "went well" with conditions for a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin being discussed, but no date agreed. Talks lasted four-and-a-half hours, with Usha- kov saying negotiators have been agreed with the US to discuss the war in Ukraine. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, said the officials treated each other in a respectful manner, but added it was "too early to talk about compromises". The talks come nearly three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and follow a recent phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Rus- sian President Vladimir Putin, during which they agreed to initiate immediate peace negotiations. This marks a notable change in Washington's stance, moving away from its previous policy of isolating Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy em- phasised, "We, as a sovereign country, simply will not be able to accept any agreements without us," asserting that no peace deal can be made on Ukraine's behalf. Just hours before the meeting, Russia launched an extensive drone attack on Ukraine, deploying 176 Shahed-type strike drones and decoy drones. European governments, alarmed at the possibil- ity that Russia and the United States could side- line them from negotiations that will determine the future security of the continent, have also de- manded a role in peace talks. "Everyone feels the great sense of urgency," Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said. "At this crucial time for the security of Europe we must continue to stand behind Ukraine." US-Russian talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Kyiv and European officials get sidelined from meeting All passengers and crew on a plane which crashed and overturned while landing at Toronto Pearson Airport in Canada have survived, the airport's chief executive said. One child and two adults were critically injured in the crash, according to emergency services. The crash involved a Delta Air Lines flight arriving from Minneapolis, and of the 80 people on board, 76 were passengers and four were crew.