In October 1998, a court found Norman and Marie Therese Zammit guilty of owing Lm846,000 together with interest to Bank of Valletta.

They appealed but in May 1998 the appeal was declared “deserted”.

In December 2004, the bank asked the court to authorise it to execute the 1999 sentence but the Zammit couple pleaded in February 2005 that Eliza Co Ltd was paying off the debts by selling off parts of its property as and when a property was sold.

In March 2006 the First Hall rejected the Zammits’ claims and authorised the bank to execute the sentence. A month later, the Zammits appealed again but last week the Appeals Court threw out the appeal as being “frivolous and vexatious” and ordered the Zammits to pay double the damages.