Paqpaqli case: court sets seven more hearings for testimonies

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, presiding over the controversial Paqpaqli għall-Istrina case, in which 13 individuals have been accused of varying negligence charges in criminal court, said that his aim is for the compilation of evidence to be concluded by June.

There have been a number of delays in the often-confusing proceedings due to the high number of accused and their army of lawyers. Yesterday morning’s hearing centred around arguments between the parte civile lawyers representing the injured parties, and the defendants’ lawyers regarding the magisterial inquiry report and a number of alleged shortcomings.

Magistrate Bugeja imposed seven hearings between April and June for all testimony to be heard. This was met with some opposition in the light of the large number of people involved and everybody’s differing schedules.

The members of the Paqpaqli għall-Istrina organising committee, including TV presenter Tonio Darmanin as well as British millionaire Paul Bailey, were in court over a crash at the December 2015 event that left 28 people injured.

Mr Bailey’s Porsche 918 clipped the grass and spun out of control, smashing into inadequate plastic barriers and into the watching crowd. The event, then in its tenth edition, was organised by the Office of the President and was aimed at raising funds for the Malta Community Chest Fund. It will not be held this year.

All those accused said they were not guilty on all charges. All are charged with, through unskillfulness, carelessness, imprudence or non-observance of regulations, involuntarily causing injuries of a grievous nature on various persons and having involuntarily caused damages on various vehicles.

With regard to the magisterial inquiry, the parte civile lawyers argued about shortcomings in the proces verbale – referring to the gathering of evidence throughout the magisterial inquiry. The courts are expected to decide in the coming days whether parts of the inquiry can be declared admissible or not.

The defendants, aside from Mr Bailey and Mr Darmanin, are Angelo Mario Mannara – 51, from Birżebbuġa, Christopher Sultana – 41, from Lija, David Bugeja – 38, from San Ġwann, Brian Gatt – 44, from Naxxar, Jonathan Tonna – 40, from Naxxar, Kevin Perry – 44, from Qormi , Melvin Haber – 44, from Naxxar, Ian Keith Cilia Pisani – 38, from Mġarr, Jonathan Bruno – 41, from Mosta, Tonio Cini – 47, from Naxxar and Agostino De Giorgio – 52, from Sliema.

Police Inspectors Josric Mifsud, Silvio Magro and Hubert Cini are prosecuting, while Magistrate Aaron Bugeja presides.