A man yesterday admitted being an accomplice in the bribery and corruption of former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and former judge Patrick Vella.

Joseph Zammit, 60 of Valletta took the stand, as a witness in his own defence. Zammit is charged of complicity in the corruption and bribery of former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and former judge Patrick Vella. He is also being accused of accepting money to influence the judge’s actions, of defrauding Mario Camilleri of Lm5,000 and of relapsing in view of previous convictions.

At the end of the sitting, Zammit pleaded guilty to the first two charges, but denied the charge that claimed he was paid Lm5,000. Instead, he told the court that he was given Lm2,500 for influencing the judges’ behaviour.

During his testimony, Zammit told the court how former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo agreed to reduce a jail term against payment of Lm10,000 and how former judge Patrick Vella was disgruntled after receiving Lm5,000 for the deed, when he had been expecting double the amount.

Zammit was initially one of four men accused of the same crimes – Mario Camilleri, 43, and his 23-year-old son Pierre, of St Paul’s Bay and Anthony Grech Sant, 56 of Attard. Zammit’s case was subsequently separated from the other three.

In his account, the accused gave a detailed description of the events that led to the judges allegedly accepting the bribe. “Four weeks before judgement was due to be handed down Mario Camilleri’s appeal, his son Pierre approached me and asked me to speak to judge Patrick Vella,” he said.

The accused explained Mr Camilleri had gone to him with the request because the former judge’s parents lived next door to him. “I met judge Vella in Republic Street and asked whether he would help my friend out. He refused,” Zammit said.

He claimed that he then asked Anthony Grech Sant to speak to Noel Arrigo regarding the matter. Later, Pierre Camilleri approached him again – this time with an offer. “He said his father was willing to offer both judges a Lm10,000 drink,” the accused claimed.

He added that Mr Camilleri also promised him a drink worth Lm10,000 for carrying out the favour. Zammit said he later met Noel Arrigo and made the same request he had made to Patrick Vella. “He said he would help if he was able to,” Zammit claimed.

The next time they met, the former Chief Justice was said to have answered, “Now we will see,” when Zammit raised the topic of Mario Camilleri’s appeal judgement.

Two days before the case was due to be heard, the accused said he met Patrick Vella once again to tell him that the offer had been reduced to Lm5,000. “I told Mario Camilleri that Patrick Vella insisted on getting Lm10,000,” Zammit continued.

“A day before the appeal was due to be heard in court, Noel Arrigo agreed to change the jail term and said he would accept Lm10,00 as payment,” the accused said. He noted that another judge, Joseph Filletti was due to preside over the court together with Patrick Vella and Noel Arrigo, but no arrangements were made with him.

After the judgement was handed down, Zammit said he was only given Lm2,000 of the Lm10,000 he had been promised. He also said he received a call from Pierre Camilleri saying that his father only had Lm10,000 to give the judges, that is Lm5,000 each.

When he approached Mario Camilleri one time in court, Zammit said the man told him he knew no details of the money arrangements since his son had handled everything.

“Patrick Vella then called and asked to meet near my house that is also near his parents’ house. He came by and I handed him a big brown envelope containing Lm5,000,” the accused told the court.

He noted that Pierre Camilleri was monitoring the transaction from a near by window. He also said that upon opening the envelope, Patrick Vella complained that it only contained Lm5,000 – not the Lm10,000 promised.

Zammit said Noel Arrigo was paid in the same way, but gave no details of the transaction. When asked why he got involved, the accused claimed he was in debt at the time. “I owed Lm10,000 to the bank and another Lm15,000 to usurers,” he said.

He also claimed that Mario Camilleri had bothered him and he had had enough of it. On a question by presiding magistrate Abigail Lofaro, Zammit said he is now aware that he made a big mistake.

The magistrate also asked him whether he was ashamed to make the request to the judges. “No. I did not expect all this to happen,” Zammit answered. He vowed that if ever a criminal were to approach him with the same demand, he will go straight to the police.

“I learnt a lot from this experience. I spent five months in preventative custody and was ashamed to leave my house,” he concluded.

The case continues.

Superintendent Pierre Calleja prosecuted, while Dr Chris Soler appeared for the accused.