Lifeline lawyers ignore magistrate's warning not to hold press conferences

The lawyer defending MV Lifeline captain Claus-Peter Reisch has been warned by a magistrate not to hold any more press conferences on the courthouse steps.

Lawyer Cedric Mifsud would regularly address the media after most sittings in the case against Reisch who is charged with ship registration irregularities.

And that is what Mifsud, his client and the other defence lawyer, Neil Falzon, did again today after the court sitting was over.

Before the sitting began, Magistrate Joe Mifsud warned the lawyer not to talk to the press. “If there’s someone in favour of freedom of expression it’s me, but we must be fair and let the courts decide… it’s not fair on the people to give a certain impression when processes are underway.”

Cases are to be decided in the courtroom, not in the press, the magistrate said.

Magistrate Mifsud protested at the fact that the defence had filed an application just an hour before the sitting, asking that the court order the prosecution to close its evidence.

Meanwhile, the case itself remains stalled as the Attorney General’s office waits for replies to rogatory letters sent to the Dutch authorities.

“It is a Dutch problem that the papers didn’t arrive,” the court clarified, explaining that the system had changed and the Dutch authorities didn’t want rogatory letters, but had asked to use a different procedure.

“I encourage the Dutch authorities to work quickly. It’s not the AG’s fault, it’s a bureaucratic issue,” the magistrate added.

But the magistrate insisted that he would not "wait for eternity".

"I have a date in mind and I will stick to it," he said. The magistrate added that he had spoken to a number of lawyers from the Office of the Attorney General, including deputy Attorney General Philip Galea Farrugia and said he was convinced that they were making every effort to resolve the issue.

The case continues on 19 November.

Defence lawyers for the Lifeline captain, Cedric Mifsud (left) and Neil Falzon (right), addressed the press after the court sitting

Dogs outside the courthouse

But this case is not playing out only in court. A frustrated Reisch arrived to court accompanied by activists dressed up as dogs.

Reisch did not hold back his frustration at the way the case has dragged on, preventing the NGO from continuing with its rescue mission in the Mediterranean.

The symbolic action that saw activists dressed up as dogs was a jibe at the undue attention that a Maltese terrier received from Prime Minister Joseph Muscat over the weekend. The dog was brought ashore along with 58 rescued migrants.

“As you know, there was a dog recused in the last few days and this dog is very popular. It seems that the life of a dog has a higher value than the life of migrants dying every day at sea,” Reisch said.

The Prime Minister tweeted about the dog’s wellbeing, earning him criticism from various human rights NGOs for failing to even mention the state of health of the migrants.

READ ALSO: Cute, fluffy, white asylum seeker earns proud tweet by Maltese prime minister

Meanwhile, addressing the press after leaving the courthouse, Reisch commented on the six-week wait until the next sitting, insisting the ship and he will remain in a state of limbo.

"I think Europe accepts dead people, for political reasons. It is completely inhumane," Reisch said.

His lawyers, Cedric Mifsud and Neil Falzon noted that the court was adjourned again because the Dutch authorities did not send the replies to the questions sent to them by the prosecution.

"We need to wait till the next hearing hoping that the Dutch reply to our questions if not we look forward to being able to present our arguments in the defence of the captain," Falzon said.