An appeals court yesterday rejected an application filed by former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and former judge Patrick Vella, who are facing criminal proceedings for accepting bribes, and deferred the case for trial.

Dr Arrigo and Dr Vella filed separate appeals after a list of preliminary appeals were rejected by the Criminal Court, presided over by Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono.

The two former judges are charged with accepting bribes to reduce the prison sentence of inmate drug-

dealer Mario Camilleri from 16 years to 12 years in 2002 and committing a crime they were duty bound to prevent.

In their pleas, the two former judges highlighted, among other points, the fact that the Constitutional Court had declared that their right to a fair hearing had been breached when then Prime Minister, now President, Eddie Fenech Adami, had addressed a press conference about the case before they had been formally charged in court.

In another of his pleas, Dr Arrigo argued that one of the charges – trading in influence – did not result from the bill of indictment issued against him by the Attorney General.

In another plea, Dr Vella argued that the list of witnesses exhibited by the Attorney General was not admissible because the AG had mistakenly submitted the list under the name “Noel Arrigo”, rather than his, and Dr Vella objected to its correction. All the pleas were rejected by the Criminal Court.

The former judges appealed against this decision. However, the two separate applications were again refused by the Appeals Court, presided over by Chief Justice Vincent de Gaetano, Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo and Mr Justice David Scicluna.

Dr Arrigo and Dr Vella will stand trial separately and have chosen to be judged by a judge rather than by a panel of jurors.

Dr George Abela and Joseph Giglio are appearing for Dr Arrigo while Dr Toni Abela, Dr Michael Sciriha and Dr José Herrera are representing Dr Vella.

Dr Stephen Tonna Lowell, from the Attorney General’s office, represented the AG.