Yorgen Fenech lawyers deplore 'systematic intimidation of the judiciary' by Jason Azzopardi

Lawyers for Yorgen Fenech have written to the Chief Justice to deplore what they described as the “systematic intimidation of the judiciary in such a way as to threaten due process.”

The letter, from lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran, Marion Camilleri and Charles Mercieca, was sent just hours after Yorgen Fenech’s latest bail request was denied by Mr Justice Giovanni Grixti.

The letter draws the Chief Justice’s attention to the fact that prior to the decision, parte civile lawyer Jason Azzopardi had also published the contents of a letter he had written to the Chief Justice requesting Grixti’s recusal, “with the obvious intention of influencing Mr. Justice Grixti’s decision on bail and at the same time play to the gallery.”

Azzopardi knew that the reasons for a judge’s recusal listed in the law said the lawyers, and the allegation that “13 years ago a judge might have bought a second hand, almost 20 years old, boat from the father of the accused” is not one of those reasons, they argued.

The fact that a person buys something from someone did not imply that the two were in business together or had obligations towards each other, argued Fenech’s lawyers, adding a jibe over Azzopardi’s gratis stay at the Tel Aviv Hilton courtesy of Fenech. “Perhaps here Dr. Azzopardi is using his own measure and thinks that everyone who buys something or uses the services of a member of the Fenech family acquired it for free, like him.”

In the letter, the lawyers state that Azzopardi’s actions and subsequent publication on his personal Facebook page together with insults in several posts “are nothing but a continuation of systematic intimidation, to the prejudice and abuse of the rights of the accused, and with the collaboration of the media, to the detriment of free process.”

READ MORE: Judge who has to decide on Yorgen Fenech’s bail bought boat from his father; Jason Azzopardi writes to Chief Justice