[WATCH] MV Lifeline captain cleared of ship registration offences as appeals court revokes €10,000 fine

Lifeline captain will return to see after court acquittal

MV Lifeline captain Claus Peter Reisch is a free man after the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned his conviction for ship registration irregularities.

In May last year, Captain Claus Peter Reisch had been found guilty of not having his ship’s registration in order and was fined €10,000, with the court refusing the prosecution’s request to confiscate the vessel.

Reisch had been in charge of the vessel when it rescued 234 stranded migrants at sea in 2018. The rescue had caused an international dispute, with the Lifeline eventually being allowed to dock in Valletta, after which the rescued migrants were distributed amongst a number of EU countries.

Reisch had been charged with entering Maltese territorial waters without the necessary registration or licence.

Reisch’s lawyers, Cedric Mifsud and Neil Falzon had appealed the fine on a number of grounds, arguing that the ship had been correctly registered under the Dutch flag and its ownership was indicated in that register.

In a judgment handed down this morning, Madame Justice Consuelo Scerri Herrera overturned the sentence, saying the man had lacked the specific intent necessary to find guilt on the charge.

Lawyers Cedric Mifsud, Neil Falzon and Gianluca Cappitta were legal counsel to Reisch.