Former judge Patrick Vella, who was recently jailed for two years for accepting a bribe to reduce the jail term of drug trafficker Mario Camilleri, yesterday appealed against the definitive prison term.

In his appeal, Vella said that the Criminal Court, presided over by Mr Justice Giannino Caruana Demajo, was incorrect in jailing him for two years as a suspended sentence could have been applied. Vella had chosen to plead guilty before three judges rather than face a trial by the bench.

The grounds for appeal cited by Vella included the fact that he cooperated with police, that he showed genuine remorse and that he resigned from his post even before he was due to face trial.

Other issues raised in the appeal included the fact that Vella made an unconditional apology to Maltese society and that the then Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami had given a news conference on the issue before he (Vella) had been taken to court.

The defence team, comprised of lawyers Roberto Montalto, Michael Sciriha, Jose Herrera and Toni Abela, also said they could not understand how Mr Justice Caruana Demajo said that the two-year jail term would give Vella a chance to reform, when the same court had said that he had already reformed.

The appeal also called for a reduction in time to be spent in custody due to the fact that Vella had spent time under house arrest – which they claim is still a form of restricted freedom.