Court orders Commissioner of Police to prosecute Vince Farrugia for perjury

A court has ordered police to charge former GRTU Chief Vince Farrugia for perjury and suborning witnesess to give false evidence against developer Sandro Chetcuti in criminal proceedings following an assault on Farrugia.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja decreed that there was sufficient prima facie evidence for criminal proceedings to continue. “The court is convinced that not only did Farrugia influence witnesses on how and what to testitfy, but in his own testimony gave a distorted picture of the facts, making the incident look more brutal than it actually was,” said the magistrate.

The dispute relates to criminal proceedings filed against Chetcuti in 2013, when Magistrate Edwina Grima cleared Chetcuti of attempted murder and the grievous bodily harm of Farrugia, who was 65 at the time. He was, however, found guilty of causing slight injury of Farrugia.

Developer Sandro Chetcuti had instituted the challenge proceedings last November, calling on the Commissioner of Police to prosecute Farrugia for perjury and suborning witnesses to commit perjury.

Chetcuti argued that even though there was clear prima facie evidence to charge Vince Farrugia with perjury, the police commissioner was yet to arraign or even investigate the former GRTU director.

Lawyers Edward Gatt and William Cuschieri represented Chetcuti.