A recent First Hall judgement ended a sad case that took place in 1981.

Lawrence Hili, who was then employed by Burbank Oilfield Services as Assistant Catering Manager, was blocked by the then Air Malta officer in Libya and not allowed to return to Malta until he personally paid the Lm6,000 that Burbank owed Air Malta.

The Air Malta official, now deceased, told Mr Hili that he had been informed by Air Malta Head Office in Malta that unless Burbank paid their dues he would be held personally responsible.

So Mr Hili’s passport was withheld by the Maltese embassy and he was detained in Libya. Besides, the Air Malta official told Mr Hili’s wife in Malta, who was quite distraught her husband could not return from Libya, that unless she and her family coughed up the Lm6,000, her husband would be kept in Libya. He promised however that once they had paid, as long as Air Malta did not seek to get the Lm6,000 owed by Burbank from him, he would return the money.

Mrs Hili and her father collected the money and paid up but the Air Malta official never returned the money. Hence the case.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, decided in favour of Mr Hili and ordered the family of the deceased Air Malta official’s to return the money.