The book Joe Sammut took to court with him on the day he was arraigned on charges of fraud, misappropriation and forging documents did not go unnoticed.

He was carrying “The assassination of the archduke”, a book about the killing of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo which triggered the start of the First World War in 1914.

The way Mr Sammut was carrying the book on Tuesday led many to think that he wanted it to be picked up by the media. The front cover was easily seen and Mr Sammut’s thumb was strategically placed so as not to cover any part of the title.

It could be just a coincidence, and that Mr Sammut was simply taking that book to court just in case matters were delayed and he would have something to do to pass the time.

Others saw a not-so-subtle hint that he is ready to stage a war to clear his name. If this is so, the message that was sent was picked up, although its intended target – the Prime Minister? The Labour Party? - is not known.

He has pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges that were brought against him.

As he was being taken to court, unlike other people who are arraigned, Mr Sammut made no attempt to cover his face or hide from the media.

The former Labour Party treasurer, who contested the election for the PL four times between 1996 and 2008, allegedly helped Libyans obtain residence permits by creating fictitious companies.

Three witnesses testified in the first hearing on Tuesday and the case continues on 3 September.

The Malta Independent on Sunday last Sunday reported that the arraignment of Mr Sammut could open a can of worms for both the Bank of Valletta as well as the Labour Party.

His arraignment places the PL in a fix, since all the details pertaining to how Mr Sammut managed to open 850 BOV accounts will end up on open court.

The bank will have to testify on how dubious companies got through the financial scrutiny usually employed by BOV. It will also have to declare what type of political influence, if any, was exerted on BOV to open such accounts which the Malta Financial Services Authority found to be irregular to to point of it being compelled to alert the authorities, including the police.