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News
• 10 November 2002
Agius
refutes MaltaToday reportage
- two years of investigations and extradition proceedings
Communicating with MaltaToday this week, Ronnie Agius vehemently
denied references made in his respect last Sunday that investigations
carried out on him had revealed links to drugs and arms smuggling
and other aspects of links to the activities of the international
criminal underworld.
Agius has been caught up in legal wrangles since 1999 when Dutch
authorities had first requested his extradition from Belgium,
where he had been place under arrest as part of a wide-ranging
investigation into cigarette smuggling operations.
Communicating with this newspaper this week, Agius denied last
Sunday’s MaltaToday report that Dr Patrick Spiteri had represented
him during court proceedings in Malta.
Represented by Spiteri abroad
While Spiteri had not, in fact, represented Agius in Malta,
Spiteri’s law firm – Muscat Azzopardi, Spiteri and Associates
did represent him in Holland. During his extradition process from
Malta to Italy, Emmanuel Mallia and Gianella Caruana Curran represented
Agius.
Agius was also adamant that, "None whatsoever of all the
investigations that were effected in my regard ever resulted in
any connection or involvement to drugs and arms smuggling, more
so in any involvement in the delivery of arms to the terrorist
organisation, the IRA".
While this may, in fact, hold true, Dutch and Italian police
have stated that Agius used to be seen in the company of Paul
Smith Kieran – an IRA exponent, who has since been murdered.
The IRA has been involved in extensive cigarette smuggling operations,
which it tied in with drugs and arms smuggling operations. However,
direct links between Agius and the IRA have not been proved.
Strong denials
Agius explains, "The only accusation which currently stands
in my regard is one which is totally unrelated to these matters
and one which is, in any event, strongly contested and currently
sub judice.
"I have neither ever paid nor ever been requested to pay
any amount of hefty pledge by the foreign authorities. There was
no cause for bail … for the very simple reason that after
a period of preventive detention, I was freely released and sent
back to Malta, with no charges brought against me.
"I have never greeted anyone at the Hotel La Paix in Lugano
who was known or introduced to me as having any criminal connection."
He adds, "It is totally untrue and unfounded that I owe any
such or other sum [Lm100,000] of money to Mr John Sullivan and
no claim whatsoever has ever been made against me in this regard."
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Two
years of investigations and extradition proceedings
August 1999
Ronnie Agius first hit the headlines back in 1999, when
he was arrested in Belgium and extradited to Holland when
an international arrest warrant was issued against him as
part of a wide-ranging Dutch investigation into cigarette
smuggling.
Agius had spent 22 days in custody before being released
by Dutch authorities. The law firm Muscat Azzopardi, Spiteri
and Associates had represented Agius in Holland.
March 2001
Some seven months later, Italian authorities filed a request
for the extradition of Agius to Italy on similar charges
of being involved in cigarette smuggling to Italy. He was
wanted in connection with conspiring to smuggle tobacco
in Gioia Tauro, Naples and Milan in and before December
1998. He was also investigated for similar operations in
Egypt and China.
Agius was arrested by Maltese police after a warrant was
issued by a Maltese magistrate and an international warrant
was issued by the Italian police. Interpol had also issued
a call for Agius’ arrest and extradition in March 2000.
While Agius was one of 17 people wanted in the Italian case,
he was also expected back in Holland later in the year for
similar charges.
His application for bail was denied when documents revealed
that there was a well-founded fear of him escaping from
justice with the help of contacts abroad.
Italian authorities claimed that Agius was involved in smuggling
at least 18 tons of cigarettes – citing recorded telephone
conversations between Agius and well known Swiss and Italian
smugglers.
Agius vehemently contested his detention and went as far
as filing a constitutional application against the police
commissioner and attorney general, claiming that his prolonged
detention was a breach of his human rights. The application
was dismissed.
Agius was subsequently granted bail after family members
put up property and businesses as guarantees.
May 2001
Italy’s extradition request was turned down by a magistrate,
who ruled there was not enough prima facie evidence to extradite
Agius and that evidence produced by Italian authorities
was blatantly lacking.
The attorney general appealed the ruling, claiming the Magistrate’s
Court had incorrectly applied and interpreted the evidence.
December 2001
Following the attorney general’s appeal, the Court
of Criminal Appeal ordered Agius’ extradition on two
counts of cigarette smuggling in Naples.
January 2001
An Italian court in Reggio Calabria ordered that Agius
be released from custody after Agius appealed a ruling by
a lower court, which had ruled he should be kept under house
arrest in the country.
Agius is currently free.
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