Caruana Galizia murder suspect allowed to appeal phone tap ruling on eve of pre-trial hearing

George Degiorgio, one of the men suspected of carrying out the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, has been granted permission to appeal a court decree that turned down his request to suspend the criminal proceedings against him.

Degiorgio is contesting phone tap evidence against him.

He had asked the First Hall, Civil Court to suspend the pre-trial hearing of preliminary objections scheduled for Thursday, pending judgment in a separate constitutional case challenging the validity of phone tapping laws.

In that case Degiorgio’s lawyer, William Cuschieri, had challenged the authorities to produce telephone intercepts that the prosecution had “bragged about” throughout the compilation of evidence. The intercepts had led the police to Degiorgio, his brother Alfred Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat, as the alleged murderers.

Mr Justice Toni Abela had rejected the request for a suspension on October 16. That decision led the Degiorgios' lawyer to file another application asking that same court to grant “special permission” for an appeal, stating that it would  be “better and just” were the Constitutional Court to decide the matter.

The judge upheld that request today but said proceedings in the phone tapping case could continue.