Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/993482
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 13 JUNE 2018 2 NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The Dutch-flagged Sea Watch 3 ship was enroute to rendezvous with the Trenton, spokesman Ruben Neugebau- er said. It was not yet known how many people were on the boat before it started sinking. "This shows what happens when there are not enough rescue assets at sea," Neuge- bauer said. "This shipwreck shows that we are needed," he added, saying the Ameri- can vessel probably called Sea Watch because "there's just nobody else out here. We're the only asset at the moment." Spain announced Mon- day that it would allow the ship Aquarius, carrying over 600 rescue mi- grants, to dock in Va- lencia after Italy's new populist government turned the boat away in an unprec- edented move that breached international law. The Aquarius affected the rescue within the Libyan search and rescue zone, and sailed northwards to Italy, but it was left stranded in the Mediterranean after far-right minister for the internet Mat- teo Salvini, refused to allow it to dock on Sunday. More than 120 unaccompa- nied minors and seven preg- nant women are on board the ship. Malta thanked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for taking in the migrants, after having refused to bow down to Italy's demands that the boat sails in to Malta. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted that Italy was the boat's nearest port of call. But by Monday, sup- plies were already running low and some peo- ple were in need of medical treatment, including 15 with serious chemical burns and several others suffering from hypothermia, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which operates the rescue ship Aquarius along- side SOS Méditer- ranée. Malta accept- ed to take in any serious medical evacuations from the boat and to re- supply the ship with noodles, biscuits and bottles of drinking wa- ter to replenish the boat. MSF Spain said that while it appreciated the gesture from the Spanish government, it would be unsafe for the boat, which was over capacity and carrying people who needed medical attention, to make the three-day trip to Valencia. The boat has not received formal instructions from Italy or Spain to set sail to Valen- cia, a roughly 800-mile jour- ney. "We are staying put until we are told where to go. We have no food or water to make it to Spain anyway," an MSF spokesperson said. Migrant arrivals to Spain have increased by 50% so far in 2018 compared to last year, while Italy has seen around a 75% decline, according to the International Organization for Migrants (IOM). In the first week of June alone, 561 migrants arrived in Spain by sea. UN Secretary General Anto- nio Guterres said at a briefing on Monday that he is con- cerned that the "space for refugee protection in Europe might be shrinking." "My strong appeal is that, recognising that countries have the right to manage their borders and have the right to define their own migration policies, countries should do it in a protection sensitive way and countries should do it in full respect for international refugee law." can vessel probably called Sea Watch because "there's just nobody else out here. We're the only asset at the moment." Spain announced Mon- day that it would allow the ship Aquarius, carrying over 600 rescue mi- grants, to dock in Va- lencia after Italy's new nied minors and seven preg- nant women are on board the ship. Malta thanked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for taking in the migrants, after having refused to bow down to Italy's demands that the boat sails in to Malta. Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat insisted that Italy was the boat's nearest port of call. But by Monday, sup- plies were already running low and some peo- ple were in need of medical treatment, including 15 with serious chemical burns and several others suffering from hypothermia, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF), which operates the rescue ship Aquarius along- side SOS Méditer- ranée. ed to take in any serious medical evacuations from the boat and to re- supply the ship with noodles, biscuits and bottles of drinking wa- ter to replenish the boat. MSF Spain said that while it Following impasse with Italy, Malta thanks Spain for taking in migrants MATTHEW AGIUS AN alleged member of a crimi- nal burglary gang who terror- ised Maltese residents back in 2015 has been rearrested after skipping bail and fleeing to France. Kartlos Dolaberidze ab- sconded from Malta last sum- mer whilst on bail for charges related to his alleged involve- ment in a criminal gang which carried out a number of rob- beries in the Sliema and St Ju- lian's area three years ago. The Georgian man was ar- rested in the south of France on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued by the Maltese authorities for Do- laberidze and four other per- sons who had originally been arraigned in September 2015. They were charged with car- rying out a string of 28 bur- glaries. After he was arrested by the French Gendarmes, Dola- beridze was escorted to Malta by Maltese police officers. So far, there has been no trace of the other four gang members. Inspector Fabian Fleri gave the court an explanation of what had led to the proceed- ings. "The accused was granted bail by the Criminal Court in May 2017. The month after, the accused failed to appear in court, having fled…the ac- cused was found in France in May 2018 and was extradited. He was found in possession of false Slovakian documents and was identified through fa- cial recognition, fingerprints and DNA analysis. He was re- turned to Malta yesterday." Inspectors Fabian Fleri, Kurt Farrugia and Jonathan Rans- ley asked for the court pro- ceedings to be split to allow Dolaberidze to be prosecuted separately from the other ac- cused, who are still on the run. This request was granted. The police also requested the revocation of his bail and the €30,000 personal guarantee to be surrendered to the govern- ment of Malta. But lawyers Shazoo Ghaz- navi and Charlon Gouder ar- gued that he could only face proceedings on the crime specified in the European Ar- rest Warrant and not on his breaching of his bail condi- tions, as this was not men- tioned in the warrant. Ghaznavi also asked whether an inferior court could put in- to effect a guarantee imposed by the superior courts. A complex legal argument ensued over whether the law made the forfeiture of the bail security mandatory and whether it was requested properly, with both sides mak- ing elaborate submissions. The law didn't contemplate a scenario where the police do not request the forfeiture of a guarantee and then request it at a later stage, said Ghaz- navi. "With all due respect…it is a sui generiss scenario. He isn't accused of breaching bail and can't be because he wasn't brought to Malta for breach- ing bail. Also, the request for the forfeiture was not made at the time of the request for ar- rest. Had it been automatic, as the other side is claiming, the law would not specify it as be- ing necessary." The court disagreed, how- ever, with Magistrate Josette Demicoli saying that there were no fresh charges, only a request to continue proceed- ings which had already start- ed. She ordered the forfeiture of the €30,000 bond together with the man's re-arrest. If unpaid, the sum will translate into a maximum of two years' prison time, over and above any other sentence which he may be handed. The court's decree is non- appealable, In comments to MaltaToday, Dolaberidze's lawyers mooted the possibility of filing a Con- stitutional case "because there is no legal remedy" for their client. magius@mediatoday.com.mt Court seizes Sliema house burglar's €30,000 bail bond