Woman sentenced to three-year probation over false testimony

Marica Bezzina had offered her home address to the accused, Kakhaber Lomtadze, to guarantee him bail but Police found that he was not residing in her home after all

25 July 2019, 4:13pm
by Matthew Agius

1 min read

Kakhaber Lomtadze, from Georgia, had been arrested following a rooftop chase, accused with money laundering and theft

A woman who had proffered her home address to guarantee bail for a man accused of a string of thefts has ended up in trouble with the law when the police later found that the man was not living there.

Marica Bezzina, 32, from Hamrun appeared in court under arrest, charged with giving false testimony during bail proceedings relating to Kakhaber Lomtadze from Georgia, who was arrested in Fgura following a dramatic rooftop chase last month. Kakhaber, 41, had been charged with theft and money laundering.

On July 11, she had appeared before Madam Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera during Lomtadze’s bail proceedings and had supplied the court with her home address, saying that the man would be residing with her whilst on bail.

But when police went to her home to check that the man was there, they found him absent. She was arrested, as Lomtadze was later.

The pair were arraigned separately today.

Bezzina pleaded guilty to giving false testimony and was placed under a 3 year probation order.

Lawyer Raisa Colombo appeared for Bezzina.

Next in the dock was Lomtadze, who pleaded not guilty to having corrupted the witness as well as breaching his bail conditions.

Bail was not requested.

Lawyers Ishmael Psaila, Edward Gatt and Shawn Zammit were defence counsel to Mr Lomtadze.

Inspector Shawn Pawney prosecuted.

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...