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6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 24 SEPTEMBER 2025 COURT 21-year-old caught driving without licence twice A 21-year-old man residing in Marsa was arraigned in court on Tuesday and charged with driv- ing without a licence and with- out a valid insurance cover on two separate occasions. Lee Formosa was also charged with breaching two separate sets of bail conditions, one im- posed in June 2023 and one im- posed in December of last year. He was also charged with recid- ivism. Inspector James Mallia ex- plained that Formosa was in- itially stopped in August in Floriana for driving without a licence, but he was not arrest- ed at that time. However, on 22 September, Mallia was in- formed that LESA officers had stopped Formosa for using his mobile phone while driving. He was then taken to police head- quarters and subsequently ar- raigned. The court declared the arrest valid. He denied the charges. Bail was not requested at this stage, and he was remanded in custody. Inspectors James Mallia, Cheyenne Mangion, and Rachel Aquilina prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Adreana Zammit appeared for Formosa. Magistrate Abigail Critien presided. After being caught driving without a licence in August, the accused was then stopped in September for driving while using a mobile phone Woman acquitted of filing false police report against ex husband over alimony dispute A woman was acquitted on Monday by the Court of Criminal Appeal of falsely accusing her husband of failing to pay al- imony. Glorianne Grace Zammit Saliba Tole- do, 37, had previously been found guilty of calumnious accusations and simula- tion of an offence, meaning she allegedly fabricated false evidence to support her claim. Toledo was handed a suspended sentence. As usual, the woman's estranged hus- band, Reuben Zammit, was required to pay alimony on the first day of each month. However, a Civil Court decree ordered that alimony be deducted di- rectly from his salary, which meant that payments became due at the end of the month, since his salary was issued at that time rather than at the beginning. It initially appeared that Zammit did not immediately comply with this order. A letter dated 4 October 2021 sent by the woman's lawyer to Zammit's employer, showed that by that time, Zammit was still not complying with the decree. Since the 15-day period from 1 Novem- ber had elapsed, the appellant reported the matter to the Police. Zammit alimony that her report was false because, according to him, his then-wife was to be paid at the end of the month. He also pointed out that the decree did not specify an exact payment date, and another decree indicated that alimony should be deducted when the salary was issued. The man had also provided the police with documents to show that he had paid the woman the sum for October a month in advance. Zammit later explained that the direct deductions only began with his Decem- ber 2021 salary, as the employer had only been notified in October. However, in its decision, the Court of Appeal noted that there was indeed doubt as to when the November 2021 alimony was due, a doubt that had to be resolved in the appellant's favour. The court further observed that an ear- lier decree did indeed state when alimony was to be paid. Additionally, the respond- ent himself had agreed to pay alimony within the first five days of each month. "This showed that even at that stage, he was aware that payments were due at the beginning of the month", the court add- ed. Therefore, when the appellant filed her report in November 2021, the court found that she did so without knowing that her ex-husband was innocent, and without intending to cause him harm. The doubt surrounding the interpretation of the two Civil Court decrees worked in her favour. As a result, the court upheld the appeal and acquitted Toledo of all guilt and pun- ishment. Defence lawyers Joe Giglio and Lennox Vella represented the accused. The court was presided over by Judge Edwina Gri- ma. MAYA GALEA mgalea@mediatoday.com.mt The doubt surrounding the interpretation of the two Civil Court decrees worked in the accused's favour Police searching for car driver who fled accident THE police are searching for a car driver who fled the scene of an accident in which a 42-year-old motorcyclist from Birkirkara was injured serious- ly. The accident happened at around 7pm on Monday in Triq Bella Vista, San Ġwann. When the police arrived on site, they found that a black Renault Megane and a Honda motorcycle had collided. The motorcyclist was given med- ical treatment before being transported to Mater Dei Hos- pital where he was certified to have sustained serious injuries. The driver of the Megane, who the police said is a man, fled the scene and the police are trying to locate him. Magistrate Philip Galea Far- rugia is conducting an inquiry, while the police investigations are ongoing. Police are searching for the driver of the Renault Megane (Photo: Malta Police Force)