Jury in people smuggling trial returns not guilty verdict

A five-day trial for a man accused of people smuggling has come to an end, with a jury clearing the man of the charges against him

16 January 2017, 9:58am
by Matthew Agius

1 min read

A jury has cleared an Ethiopian man who had been on trial accused of people smuggling and conspiracy to traffic in persons

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A jury on Saturday cleared an Ethiopian man who had been on trial accused of people smuggling and conspiracy to traffic in persons.

Returning 6-3 verdicts of not guilty on both heads of indictment, the jury brought the trial of 58-year-old Hadish Abayu from Ethiopia to an end after five days.

Judge Edwina Grima ordered the man's immediate release.

Abayu's trial came 11 years after he was charged with trafficking 181 persons into Malta by sea on 25 September 2005.

Abayu had been charged on 9 June 2006 but had absconded whilst out on bail, being arrested in Switzerland and extradited to Malta in May 2016.

Lawyer Simon Micallef Stafrace represented Abayu.

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...