The Appeals Court today overturned a decision that a former police officer was guilty of conspiring to traffic in heroin.

However, several other charges which Jean Pierre Abdilla had been found guilty of, were confirmed by the same court, and a 16 year jail term he is currently serving was not reduced.

Abdilla, 37 from Zurrieq, had been found guilty in a 2009 jury of trafficking in heroin, possession of the drug, trying to corrupt an immigration officer official and being in possession of protected birds and reptiles.

He was also found guilty of conspiring with another person to sell the drug, but that charge was dropped today by the appeals court. Abdilla had also been fined €40,600.

In handing down its sentence the court said that, according to the evidence presented in the 2009 proceedings, Abdilla could not be found guilty of the conspiracy charge. Namely because the other person involved, Jean Claude Agius, actually wanted to help the police and there was no actual agreement between the two men.

The court said that conversations between the two indicated that Agius wanted to buy drugs from Abdilla, and not sell them with him.

Abdilla resigned from the police corps when the investigations started.

His lawyer, Edward Gatt, is expected to file a constitutional case next week.