In her blog “Iżjed taħwid tal-borma” dated 12th February 2010, Daphne Caruana Galizia had written the following:
“I was told that Consuelo’s defamation case – the police vs Daphne Caruana Galizia – had been assigned to Magistrate X, a really straight, decent type.
Now I learn through timesofmalta.com’s latest update that the case will be heard by Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona.
Was my original information correct, or was the case reassigned in another bit of taħwid?
That’s what happens, when you can’t trust the system on the basis of behind-the-scenes activity.
If indeed it is to be Magistrate Micallef Trigona, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to petition the Chief Justice to have the case reassigned.
I will give my reasons to him privately.
But to put it in a nutshell, Magistrate Micallef Trigona is not in a position to sit in judgement over me for a defamation case in which one of the statements made was that Magistrate Herrera is not fit for office because she cheated on her husband (and even presided over the prosecution of her secret lover’s brother).
Magistrate Micallef Trigona cannot give me a fair hearing in this one. Not only was he in the same position as Magistrate Herrera at one time, but when he went briefly off the rails, he was also part of her social group.
And the woman with whom he went off those rails is still one of Magistrate Herrera’s closest friends.
Magistrate Micallef Trigona would be nuts to accept this case, and I would be nuts to accept having my case decided by somebody who is compromised.
There is another reason why a question mark hangs over whether justice will be seen to be served if Magistrate Micallef Trigona is the one who gets to decide whether I have defamed his colleague or not.
See beneath. Consuelo is sitting in judgement over the case Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona (whose lawyer, incidentally, is the former Super One/KullHadd ‘journalist’ Joe Mifsud) vs. Emmanuel Grima.
Riferenza 351/2007
Qorti TAL-MAGISTRATI (CIVILI) – MALTA
Ġudikatura CONSUELO-PILAR SCERRI HERRERA
Ismijiet MICALLEF TRIGONA ANTONIO MAGISTRAT vs GRIMA EMANUEL
The case is on-going and the next hearing is in a couple of weeks. So while he is hearing Consuelo’s case (or rather, the police for Consuelo) against me, Consuelo is going to be hearing his case against that man Grima – and with a former Super One/KullHadd journalist as a lawyer, to boot.”
Daphne Caruana Galizia on Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona
In her blog “Iżjed taħwid tal-borma” dated 12th February 2010, Daphne Caruana Galizia had written the following:
“I was told that Consuelo’s defamation case – the police vs Daphne Caruana Galizia – had been assigned to Magistrate X, a really straight, decent type.
Now I learn through timesofmalta.com’s latest update that the case will be heard by Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona.
Was my original information correct, or was the case reassigned in another bit of taħwid?
That’s what happens, when you can’t trust the system on the basis of behind-the-scenes activity.
If indeed it is to be Magistrate Micallef Trigona, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to petition the Chief Justice to have the case reassigned.
I will give my reasons to him privately.
But to put it in a nutshell, Magistrate Micallef Trigona is not in a position to sit in judgement over me for a defamation case in which one of the statements made was that Magistrate Herrera is not fit for office because she cheated on her husband (and even presided over the prosecution of her secret lover’s brother).
Magistrate Micallef Trigona cannot give me a fair hearing in this one. Not only was he in the same position as Magistrate Herrera at one time, but when he went briefly off the rails, he was also part of her social group.
And the woman with whom he went off those rails is still one of Magistrate Herrera’s closest friends.
Magistrate Micallef Trigona would be nuts to accept this case, and I would be nuts to accept having my case decided by somebody who is compromised.
There is another reason why a question mark hangs over whether justice will be seen to be served if Magistrate Micallef Trigona is the one who gets to decide whether I have defamed his colleague or not.
See beneath. Consuelo is sitting in judgement over the case Magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona (whose lawyer, incidentally, is the former Super One/KullHadd ‘journalist’ Joe Mifsud) vs. Emmanuel Grima.
Riferenza 351/2007
Qorti TAL-MAGISTRATI (CIVILI) – MALTA
Ġudikatura CONSUELO-PILAR SCERRI HERRERA
Ismijiet MICALLEF TRIGONA ANTONIO MAGISTRAT vs GRIMA EMANUEL
The case is on-going and the next hearing is in a couple of weeks. So while he is hearing Consuelo’s case (or rather, the police for Consuelo) against me, Consuelo is going to be hearing his case against that man Grima – and with a former Super One/KullHadd journalist as a lawyer, to boot.”