Man jailed over false testimony in drug case from seven years ago

A 36-year-old man from Żabbar has been jailed for four years after admitting to perjuring himself in criminal proceedings against a third party.

Brandon Luke Meilaq, who is well known to the police, pleaded guilty to having lied under oath in a December 2015 sitting in drug trafficking proceedings against Freddie Delia.

Delia, who is also from Żabbar, had been investigated by the police over cocaine and heroin procurement after his name came up in the course of police investigations over a fatal overdose in 2009.

A mobile number found in the possession of the victim had been traced to Meilaq who told the police that the number was Delia’s. Meilaq had released a statement to the police, in which he claimed that Freddie Delia would supply him with heroin and cocaine for trafficking, and that they would share the profits between them.

But when summoned to the witness stand in the case against Delia, Meilaq had failed to identify the accused. He confirmed that he used to obtain the drugs from a man whose name he did not know but who was depicted in a photograph. However, despite the photo being of the accused, he insisted that the man in the dock was not the same person.

Delia was subsequently acquitted and Meilaq was charged with perjury in separate proceedings. He had admitted the charges upon his arraignment and had apologised to the court.

A pre-sentencing report established that Meilaq had a strong drug habit and had lied under oath because he had feared for his family's safety. It recommended that Meilaq be sent to prison, in view of his criminal lifestyle and strong dependence on drugs.

Magistrate Nadine Lia, sentenced the accused to four years in prison, from which the period spent in police custody was to be deducted. The court noted that he had several previous convictions for drug offences, dangerous driving and theft and that he had not changed his ways, despite several community service orders as well as having been jailed for drug trafficking offences.

The magistrate also observed that Meilaq had tested positive for cocaine and heroin before this and had a longstanding addiction problem. His early guilty plea, sparing pointless expenses and resources, was also taken into account.