Degiorgio brothers appeal court ruling denying their request to postpone Caruana Galizia murder trial

Two men accused of assassinating Daphne Caruana Galizia are appealing a court ruling denying them an interim measure to postpone the upcoming trial

Two men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia have appealed a judge’s ruling against their request to postpone the upcoming murder trial.

George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio want the constitutional court to postpone the trial, claiming that their legal aid lawyers did not have enough time to prepare the defence.

Earlier this week, Madam Justice Audrey Demicoli denied the Degiorgios’ request for an interim measure to suspend the upcoming jury, ordering them to bear costs.

The judge then adjourned the constitutional case to November to hear the plaintiff’s evidence.

Legal aid lawyer Joseph Bonnici, who is representing the Degiorgio brothers in the constitutional case, has now appealed the ruling. In his appeal, Bonnici argued that unless the ruling denying an interim measure is repealed, the “only guarantee that can be given is that the fundamental rights of the appellants will be irremediably broken”.

The Degiorgios are arguing that they did not have enough time to find lawyers of their choice and were assigned legal aid lawyers against their wish. The brothers ended up without a lawyer after William Cuschieri gave up his brief two months ago.

The accused are also claiming that their right to a fair trial could be compromised because potential jurors have been exposed to publicity surrounding the case for the past five years.

In their original constitutional application, the Degiorgio brothers sought an interim measure to postpone the trial pending the outcome of the constitutional court case.

In one of the sittings, legal aid lawyers Simon Micallef Stafrace and Martin Farrugia testified that they needed substantial time to acquaint themselves with the mountain of evidence in this case.

Legal aid lawyer Joseph Bonnici is representing the Degiorgios in the constitutional proceedings.

Lawyers Carina Camilleri Testa and Maurizio Cordina are appearing for the AG and the State Advocate, respectively.

Lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia, Jason Azzopardi and Eve Borg Costanzi are appearing on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family.