A man arrested in October on cannabis charges has been released on bail after spending nearly a month in preventive custody.

Edward Grech, 35, of Gharghur, had been charged on October 26 together with two other persons with possession of cannabis in circumstances which denoted that it was not solely for their personal use.

Although none of the accused had requested bail during the arraignment, Grech had asked to be released from arrest at a later stage in the proceedings.

In a decree handed down this morning, magistrate Josette Demicoli released the man on bail against a deposit of €750 and a personal guarantee of €8000. He was also ordered to sign a bail book three times a week and observe a curfew.

Inspector Spiridione Zammit is prosecuting.

Lawyer Ishmael Psaila is defence counsel to Grech.