TV presenter should have never been prosecuted on fraud charges

Court says police should have never prosecuted TV presenter Jean-Claude Micallef over a civil claim on breach of contract.

Jean-Claude Micallef
Jean-Claude Micallef

TV presenter Jean-Claude Micallef, 23 of Marsaxlokk, has been acquitted of charges of fraud and misappropriation, with Magistrate Ian Farrguia stating that he should have never been arraigned in the first place.

Prosecuting inspector Maurice Curmi explained that in July and September 2010, Micallef entered into a sales and purchase agreement with Mark Anthony Portelli, who gave him three post-dated cheques, one of which amounted to €3,000.

The cheque had been cashed, but a disagreement between the two men ensued, resulting in the other two cheques not being honoured.

On his part, Micallef argued that he had cancelled the cheques after Portelli breached their agreement. Portelli insisted that Micallef had not been paid because the accused frivolously wanted to nullify the contract. 

The court held that since the cheques were cancelled by the account holder, the element of fraud was not proven by the prosecution. "Throughout the case there has been no evidence that Micallef even tried to defraud Portelli. Neither was the charge of misappropriation proven as the time the accused issued the cheques he had no intention of canceling them."

Magistrate Ian Farrugia concluded that this was a purely civil case and that the police should have never prosecuted against Micallef at the Criminal Court, and acquitted the accused of all charges. Inspector Maurice Curmi prosecuted while lawyer Roberto Montalto appeared for the accused.

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I think magistrate Farrugia might be mistaken,there was Truffa. Involved there were judgment including an appeal opposite this judgment.
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Sloppy reporting! Who paid whom? Who got paid? Terrible!
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Jeffrey Camilleri
Good News, now go for Europe and I vote for you!!!