The Court of Magistrates yesterday cleared a soldier of inciting racial hatred and slightly injuring a Liberian refugee, after it found that the foreigner’s version of the facts was contradictory.

Jason Pisani, an Armed Forces of Malta official, was charged with inciting racial hatred, assaulting and threatening Musa Bugayoka on 1 April 2005 in Sliema.

He was also charged with doing so in his position as a public official, offending public morals and breaching the peace.

The court said that although the refugee had tried to insist that he never created any problems while he was in Malta, it is clear that the facts reveal otherwise, since it showed that he was always a troublemaker while he was in detention at the Safi barracks.

The court added that although Mr Bugayoka had said the accused had punched him, no external injuries sustained his allegation.

It therefore ruled that it could not believe the refugee’s version of the facts and cleared the AFM soldier of all the charges brought against him.

Magistrate Giovanni Grixti presided over the case.

Dr Roberto Montalto and Dr Jose Herrera appeared for Mr Pisani.