Joseph and Michelle Muscat lose courtroom rights in Egrant perjury case
A court has revoked permission for former prime minister Joseph Muscat and his wife, Michelle, to participate in a perjury case against former FIAU manager Jonathan Ferris.
The couple were previously granted 'parte civile' status, which allows a lawyer to represent them in court as an injured party in the case.
However that status was revoked on Monday by Magistrate Marseann Farrugia who ruled that the permission could not have been granted by a magistrate who then proceeded to abstain from hearing the case.
The original decision was taken by fellow magistrate Joe Mifsud on November 11, minutes before he abstained from hearing the case due to a possible conflict of interest.
Magistrate Mifsud recused himself because he is also presiding over a stalled case in which whistleblower Maria Efimova stands charged with making false accusations against Ferris and other police officers.
However, right before he informed the court that he was abstaining, Magistrate Mifsud accepted a request by lawyer Pawlu Lia who asked to be admitted as a parte civile in the case on behalf of the Muscats.
Why was the status revoked?
Overruling the decision, Magistrate Farrugia said that according to...