In the Magistrate’s court yesterday a Frenchman was cleared of the charges of exporting military equipment from Malta to the Ivory Coast.
The court, presided over by magistrate Antonio Micallef Trigona, found Jean Jacques Fuentes not guilty of exporting military equipment from Malta to the Ivory Coast without authorisation in May 2004.
Mr Fuentes was also found not guilty of giving false information.
In his testimony, prosecuting inspector Angelo Gafa’ said, that on 17 July, 2003, Malta Customs were informed by UK Customs that an aircraft, which was being kept in a hangar at Safi, was going to be dismantled and then shipped to the Ivory Coast where it was said, “it would be rearmed with heavy machine guns and bombs, to be utilised in the internal conflict”.
Inspector Gafa’ said, that the following day, Malta Customs visited the hangar in Safi and identified the aircraft which still had the emblem of the New Zealand Air Force.
Furthermore, in September 2004, customs were informed that the aircraft had been shipped by Mr Fuentes – the owner of the aircraft – in a 40-foot container, said Insp. Gafa’.
The court heard how the exportation documents confirmed that the aircraft was the property of NCA International Ltd, of which Mr Fuentes was the sole director, and that the aircraft was dismantled and its various components exported in two separate containers, which were sealed and inspected by Customs officials.
In his testimony, Mr Fuentes said that the exported parts could not be put together to “form an aircraft that could fly”.
Furthermore, the court heard how the aircraft was registered as a civil aircraft – even by the UK aviation authorities.
In handing down his judgment, magistrate Micallef Trigona noted that “it does not seem like an aircraft, in its grammatical or technical sense, was exported,” and added that there is no proof that the exported aircraft parts were “specially designed or modified for military use”.
As a result, magistrate Micallef Trigona cleared Mr Fuentes of all charges brought against him.
Police Inspector Angelo Gafa’ prosecuted and Dr Joseph Giglio and Dr Roberto Abela appeared for Mr Fuentes.