Degiorgio brothers take rejection of presidential pardon to court
The Degiorgio brothers have filed two cases against the President’s decision to refuse their request for a presidential pardon.
George and Alfred Degiorgio – both accused of being hitmen behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia – saw their second presidential pardon request rejected.
The matter has now been taken to court, however it isn’t clear whether the cases can proceed or not in the first place.
Lawyer Stefano Filletti, representing President George Vella, said in court that the law did not allow this type of suit against the president.
The law clearly stated that “no civil action can be taken against the President of Malta for acts done in the performance of his duties,” Filletti pointed out.
Given that suits could not be filed against the President of Malta, it was requested that the Courts declare the President of Malta as non-suited.
State Advocate Chris Soler highlighted the fact that several preliminary pleas were raised, which had to be addressed before proceeding with the case, among them the fact that the decision to refuse a presidential pardon was not an administrative decision which at law could be challenged in Court.
Lawyer William Cuschieri, appearing for the Degiorgios, declared that these were tactics to delay the case and declared that in this case, he did not have much evidence to produce. However, he declared his willingness to review his position with respect to the President of Malta.
The Court invited Cuschieri to review his position and, during the next sitting, ordered the State Advocate to present its evidence on the preliminary pleas.
The Degiorgio brothers claim to have information implicating a former minister as a mastermind in the Caruana Galizia murder, as well as information about other serious crimes. They also claim that a sitting minister was involved in the HSBC heist of 2010.