Sandro Chetcuti, a property developer member of the small business chamber, the GRTU, said he did not agree that GRTU director general Vince Farrugia was going to contest for the European Parliament elections of 2009 but had personally donated €4,000 for Dr Farrugia’s campaign.

But he was unhappy that the GRTU had become one with the Nationalist Party, he said.

He was testifying before Magistrate Edwina Grima in the compilation of evidence against him in his case in which he is accused of attempting to seriously injure Dr Farrugia. The charge was originally one of attempted murder, but this was removed.

He admitted hitting Dr Farrugia, but it was not a punch, nor did he kick him. He said he had raised his hand and hit Dr Farrugia accidentally on his spectacles after the latter had started waving in his face papers which he was holding, and ordering him out of the boardroom. Dr Farrugia was also calling him a fraudster.

He also admitted telling Dr Farrugia, as he was leaving and saw some people wiping his face, that “I will kill you, you bastard”.

Chetcuti said he had gone to break the ice after he by mistake sent to Dr Farrugia the previous day an SMS meant for the leader of the opposition, Joseph Muscat. In the SMS he said that Dr Farrugia had met him and told him that he (Chetcuti) was an idiot for having dealings with Dr Muscat. Had that not been the case, Dr Farrugia would have involved him in a high position within the government, Chetcuti said in the SMS.

The incident between Chetcuti and Dr Farrugia occurred in the afternoon on 11 March, 2010 at the GRTU premises in Valletta. Chetcuti also faces the charge of exceeding the limits to provocation, with threatening Dr Farrugia, and with disturbing the peace.

He is defended by Dr Manwel Mallia, with Inspector James Grech conducting the prosecution. Dr Stephen Tonna Lowell is appearing for the parte civile.

Messages were read out which were sent by Dr Farrugia to Chetcuti, with the latter saying he did not agree with Dr Farrugia in turning the GRTU into a political instrument supporting the PN. He believed the GRTU should be politically independent.

Chetcuti said Dr Farrugia was not happy to see him organising meetings for some businessmen with the leader of the Labour Party and Dr Farrugia often reprimanded him on this.

Dr Farrugia told him he had tried to undo the disaster of Labour’s No to Europe and Labour had turned against him, insulting him and creating stories about him and his children, and creating difficulties for him with Labour supporters. The architects of the hatred were Toni Abela and George Vella. Instead of seeing how to heal the wounds, they sprinkled salt on the wounds.

Dr Farrugia boasted he spoke strongly and had influence. Even the Prime Minister had telephoned him that morning to tell him he did not expect him to be so strong against the (water and power) tariffs. He did not mind the storm, storms made him stronger, Dr Farrugia argued.

Chetcuti said it was Dr Farrugia himself who urged him to join the GRTU. He had joined and contested for the council and was always elected till 2010, ending even as vice-president. He had worked voluntarily for the GRTU and brought money to it. He had enrolled 100 new members in the developers’ section.

He had contributed for Dr Farrugia’s MEP campaign and even printed his campaign stationery. Though he helped, Dr Farrugia was not happy because Chetcuti had not helped as requested. When the 2010 GRTU council election came, Joe Attard, director of the GRTU’s Green MT company, told him that Dr Farrugia had already printed leaflets for a block vote to eliminate all those who did not want him to contest the European Parliament election. He was sorry at this and proposed someone else from the section to replace him, but the members wanted him. Chetcuti said that in spite of all the pressure, he was re-elected to the council.

Chetcuti said he had requested meetings with the Prime Minister and the leader of the opposition about the European election. When Dr Farrugia learned that he had met Dr Muscat, he told him that he was taking the GRTU into a wall. Dr Farrugia told Chetcuti he had made him, and he would break him.

He realised he had made a mess in sending the SMS to Dr Farrugia instead of to Dr Muscat. He wanted to speak to Dr Farrugia without delay but the latter was busy. Chetcuti testified he went to Vodafone to get a detailed account to show that he had not sent an SMS to Dr Muscat. He had tried to undo his mistake, he said.

Chetcuti denied he had told Joe Attard, before going to speak to Dr Farrugia, that he would lay his hand on him. When he went in to speak to Dr Farrugia he sat at the head of the table, with Dr Farrugia on the first chair on the side. He passed the sheets he had from Vodafone and Dr Farrugia became aggressive and started waving the sheets in his face. At one time, Chetcuti said, he had waved his hand, and hit Dr Farrugia on his spectacles. From then on Dr Farrugia was making a scene.

Chetcuti said he himself went to the police to make a report about what had happened. One of the policemen told him not to take it badly against the inspector for the delay, but there was an order “from above”.

Inspector James Grech asked Chetcuti the name of the policeman who told him that the inspector had orders from above. Chetcuti said he did not remember the name, but maybe he would recognise him if he saw him. Inspector Grech asked him if it was true that he had been sent that day to the health centre with an injured finger, which was so.

Chetcuti was asked if he had met Silvia Gauci, a GRTU employee, who had changed her testimony given under oath, to say she had not seen Chetcuti beating Dr Farrugia. Chetcuti said he had met Gauci at Mellieha, but denied the claims made by the Inspector that he instructed her how to testify.