Busuttil, Casa, ask to be admitted to Konrad Mizzi's human rights case

Former PN leader Simon Busuttil and PN MEP David Casa have asked to be included as parties to proceedings filed by Government Minister Konrad Mizzi, who is alleging a breach of his human rights in the investigations into revelations emerging from the Panama Papers.

Mizzi is one of seven high profile individuals into whom an investigation was ordered by Magistrate Ian Farrugia following revelations emerging from the Panama Papers. He is now claiming that the judicial process, filed by Busuttil, was simply an attempt “to cast a shadow upon his integrity”.

Last week, Mizzi had filed a constitutional application claiming a breach of his right to a fair hearing. He accused Busuttil and Casa of forum shopping and needlessly prolonging the case and that although he had been allowed to join the proceedings, instituted by Busuttil against the Attorney General - Mizzi, as well as the other appellants against the decision of Magistrate Farrugia, did not have a right "to actively participate in the proceedings", while Busuttil had presented documents to the court and made submissions through his lawyer.

In their application, signed by lawyer Jason Azzopardi, Busuttil and Casa argued that they had only found out about Mizzi’s court application through the media, despite them having “not only an interest, but a great, real, personal, direct and actual juridical interest in intervening,” in order to safeguard their rights and to ascertain that the court is given “correct, full and truthful” information by Mizzi.

The application states that even at a glance, Mizzi’s application “shows clearly that the applicant is misleading this court on incontrovertible facts.”

It is understood that Judge Robert Mangion has appointed a hearing for the application on Thursday 20 December.