A total of 33 women yesterday whooped with joy and clapped at a court’s decision clearing them of controversial charges brought against them in connection with lap dancing in Maltese clubs late last year.

Two women did not show up, but all had pleaded not guilty to committing immoral acts in public, participating in a brothel and committing other indecent acts in public. Twenty-one are Russians, seven are Ukrainian, four are Czech, two are Slovakian, one is from Estonia while one other is from Poland.

In handing down his decision, Magistrate Antonio Mizzi said that on the night between November 17 and 18 several police officers were instructed to carry out raids in various clubs across Malta.

Magistrate Mizzi said that the aim of doing so was to investigate whether there was any form of prostitution or other immoral acts going on in these establishments.

He remarked that on that night, police arrested several women who danced at the clubs and the owners were ordered to close the establishments.

Magistrate Mizzi said that the idea behind conducting the searches was “laudable”, but it was “not at all laudable” for the police to have taken the women into custody without allowing them to change into their normal clothes.

He also threw out the police’s claim that this was necessary in order to photograph the women, describing it as a crass excuse and adding that the police should have done this on the spot.

Magistrate Mizzi said that all people have a right to dignity and that the women who were subjected to that type of treatment deserved an apology.

While pointing out that this was not the case for all the women, he added that he felt this had to be pointed out to ensure it would not happen again in future.

Magistrate Mizzi also questioned why the women were charged with running a brothel when no evidence to that effect was unearthed during the searches.

“This was a fishing expedition on the part of the police. The evidence showed that some of the women were doing nothing illegal yet the police’s line of action appeared to be to charge them all then let the court decide,” he said, describing the actions as deplorable.

He also said that the evidence showed that the women were not involved in the running of the establishments. The issue revolved around the matter of whether lap dancing was immoral, he said.

“Today we see tangas on the beaches, although some are not happy about

it. Today our younger generation is more daring,” said Magistrate Mizzi.

He said to him it was more worrying that there were tangas worn on the

beaches where there were children whereas the establishments in question applied a 21 minimum age door policy, guaranteeing that minors are not allowed in.

“The morality and standards of society have evolved and we are free to buy or not according to our moral standards,” concluded Magistrate Mizzi.

All were cleared on the spot, sparking off scenes of jubilation in the courtroom.

Police Superintendent Peter Paul Zammit and Inspectors Paul Vassallo, Louise Calleja and Therese Azzopardi prosecuted. Lawyers Joseph Giglio, Shazoo Ghaznavi, Michael Sciriha, Franco Galea, Edward Gatt, Joseph Arrigo, Jean Karl Farrugia and Robert Abela appeared for the women.