Man discharged after case plagued by procedural errors is heard again

A man who was left in legal limbo after a series of procedural errors in proceedings where he was charged of injuring another man in a Marsa bar brawl, was discharged when his case was heard again.  Deniro Magri had been arraigned last August following a violent episode during which he allegedly slightly injured a barman using a sharp object instrument, wilfully damaged third party property, breached court orders as well as a number of contraventions.  His alleged victim chose not to testify for fear of self-incrimination.  A magistrate’s court had concluded that the evidence presented by prosecutors did not satisfy the degree of proof required for Magri to stand trial. But the decree did not state whether Magri was to be discharged, or whether the case records were to be returned to the attorney general’s office.  The procedural irregularity was spotted by a court registrar two months later, prompting the attorney general to seek to have Magri re-arrested.  But when the matter landed before the Criminal Court, Madam Justice Edwina Grima threw out the request, pointing out that the court could not fix the procedural defects made by the other court as well as the attorney...