Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers have asked the courts for protection after an incident involving prison director Alexander Dalli.

Lawyer Charles Mercieca said in a court application that a meeting he was having with Fenech at the prison was interrupted by Dalli, who said that documents the lawyer had brought with him were not allowed during the meeting.

Mercieca said he insisted that he needed the documents as he was preparing his client for an upcoming court sitting. Fenech is accused of being a mastermind in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The lawyer said the incident happened ten minutes into his meeting with Fenech.

The prison director, he said, told him that no papers were allowed in unless individually documented and scanned. The lawyer refused to hand over the documents.

The prison director allegedly proceeded to tell three guards to make sure that the papers were removed from the room. The argument went on for around five minutes, after which Mercieca decided to cut the meeting short as he felt that the incident was affecting his client “emotionally.”

The argument between the lawyer and the prison director, however, continued outside the room, with Dalli allegedly declaring that he did not “give a damn” about anyone, including the courts, and that “I rule here, and everyone must obey me.” The retired army colonel allegedly told the lawyer that if he did not like this, he could leave.

Fenech’s legal team later filed an application in which they called on Magistrate Rachel Montebello to give protection to both Mercieca and Fenech in light of the incident.

The commotion, they added, had been caught on CCTV.

The lawyers also filed a complaint with the Chamber of Advocates, asking for appropriate steps to be taken.

Lawyers Gianluca Caruana Curran, Marion Camilleri and Charles Mercieca signed the application.