The legal wrangling in the PN’s battle for two additional seats in Parliament continued today, with a Court turning down Labour lawyer Toni Abela’s request for a postponement in the case until a separate case is decided.

In her decision, Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland said the PL was putting “the cart before the horse” with its request to suspend proceedings.  

The court case was filed by the Nationalist Party against the PL and the Electoral Commission over two seats it says it lost because of counting mistakes .

Dr Abela today filed an application challenging a ruling last Friday in which the court threw out the PL’s request to be given more time to summon a witness, namely part-time Electoral Commission employee Anthony Gellel.

Mr Gellel had not been home when the court summons was delivered.

The witness had not been found at home when the summons was delivered and was in Gozo during Friday’s sitting.

During the Friday sitting, Madam Justice Schembri Orland noted that the PL had failed to summon witnesses in four consecutive sittings.

In his application this morning, Dr Abela requested a ruling whether he could take his complaint to the Appeals Court.

Giving her ruling this afternoon, Madam Justice Lorraine Schembri Orland turned down the PL’s request to further delay the case until Mr Gellel’s testimony is heard.

When questioned by the Court, Dr Abela was unable to explain the exact relevance of Mr Gellel’s testimony.

The Court again pointed out that the PL had for different sittings during which they could have summoned the witness, yet failed to do so.