PaqPaqli court case delayed by lack of qualified interpreters

Criminal proceedings in connection with last year's PaqPaqli Ghall-Istrina crash had to be postponed to December because no qualified Maltese to English interpreters were available today

A magisterial inquiry into last year’s tragic accident oncluded that multimillionaire Paul Bailey is the main person to be blamed for the accident that landed 23 in hospital
A magisterial inquiry into last year’s tragic accident oncluded that multimillionaire Paul Bailey is the main person to be blamed for the accident that landed 23 in hospital

Criminal proceedings against 12 people in connection with last year's PaqPaqli Ghall-Istrina crash which caused 28 casualties last year have had to be postponed to December because no qualified Maltese to English interpreters were available today.

The crash at last year's event occurred when a Porsche 918, with British millionaire Paul Bailey behind the wheel, spun off the track and into a crowd of bystanders, injuring 28 people.  Bailey, together with the organisers of the charity fundraising event, were in court today, 

Lawyer Giannella Demarco and Stephen Tonna Lowell, appearing on behalf of Bailey, asked magistrate Aaron Bugeja to appoint an interpreter from Maltese to English, qualified in simultaneous translation. 

Demarco had explained to the court that during the last sitting, her client had been unable to understand anything that his previous interpreter had said.

After a 90-minute wait, a professional interpreter was finally found, only for the court to be told that the interpreter was only qualified in interpreting French and had no qualifications in either English, Maltese or simultaneous translation.

The court said it agreed with Bailey's defence in principle, but warned that if a compromise was not found, it was going to result in the proceedings being delayed further.

Demarco replied that the impasse could be solved by the prosecution separating the cases, instead of trying everyone at the same time.

The court invited the defence to consider, as it was clear that none of the interpreters available for the sitting were so qualified, to allow practising lawyers or interpreters lacking the specific qualifications it had requested, to perform translation duties for this sitting.

However, after consulting with Bailey, lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell insisted to the court that unless a suitably academically qualified Maltese-English interpreter is found, their client was not going to be able to follow proceedings.

The court said it felt the request by Bailey's defence was not a frivolous one, but a requisite for criminal proceedings to cater for the needs of an accused person who only spoke English.

The sitting was rescheduled for December, the magistrate ordering the Commissioner of Police and the Registrar of Courts to produce a qualified professional simultaneous interpreter from Maltese to English for the next sitting.

Besides Bailey and event organiser Tonio Darmanin,  the other defendants are Angelo Mario Mannara, 51, from Birzebbugia, Christopher Sultana,41, of Lija, David Bugeja, 38, from San Gwann, Brian Gatt and Melvin Haber, both 44, from Naxxar, Jonathan Tonna, 40, of Naxxar, Kevin Perry,44, from Qormi, Ian Keith Cilia Pisani, 38, of Mgarr, Jonathan Bruno , 41, from Mosta, Tonio Cini, 47, from Naxxar and Agostino De Giorgio, 52, from Sliema.

Police Inspectors Josric Mifsud, Silvio Magro and Hubert Cini are prosecuting. Magistrate Aaron Bugeja presiding.