A man had an eight-month jail term and a Lm400 fine converted to a Lm1,110 fine after a Court of Criminal Appeal said it was convinced that the cocaine found in his possession was for his exclusive use.

George Grima had been jailed for eight months and fined Lm400 after he was found guilty of possessing cocaine that was found in circumstances denoting it was not for his personal use. He was also found guilty of possessing ecstasy on 24 March 2000.

The Court of Criminal Appeal, presided over by Mr Justice David Scicluna, said that it could not agree with the appreciation of facts conducted by the Magistrates’ Court, which had said that it did not believe the accused’s claim that the five grammes of cocaine found in his possession was

actually for himself and that there had been no intention to traffic the drug.

The Court of Criminal Appeal said that there was nothing in the Laws of Malta that established what quantity of drugs a person has to have in his possession in order to be found guilty of possession of drugs found in circumstances denoting they were not for his personal use.

Mr Justice Scicluna also remarked on the drastic improvements in Grima’s life over the years, noting that he had found a job abroad and had kicked the drug habit after attending a drug rehabilitation programme.

He therefore converted the eight-month jail term and Lm400 fine to a Lm1,100 fine.