Former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo, who was a major figure in Malta's legal system and whose fall after a scandal rocked the country, died on Sunday at the age of 75.

Arrigo had served as the President of the Chamber of Advocates, as well as chairman of the Malta branch of the Institute of Directors. He had also lectured at university.

He was appointed Chief Justice in 2002 after a distinguished career, but then there was a major scandal.

Arrigo had been accused of accepting a €11,650 bribe when he, along with two other judges, reduced the sentence of Mario Camilleri, known as l-imniehru, from 16 to 12 years in July 2002. He was also accused of trading in influence and revealing official secrets. Fellow judge Patrick Vella was also charged in a court case. 

Former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami had given a press conference to announce the arrest of the two judges.

The charges shook the country. Arrigo had tendered his resignation on August 5, 2002, insisting he was innocent, but also acknowledging the damage inflicted upon the judiciary.

In November 2009, the trial concluded, convicting Arrigo of the charges. He was sentenced to two years and nine months in jail. He was also stripped of his rights - the right to vote and the right to hold public office among others - following a general interdiction.

In the sentencing, the court noted that Arrigo planned to donate the money to charity as evidence of his character. The judge had said that one of the functions of a jail term is to allow the reformation of character of people found guilty of criminal offences by a court of law. The judge said the court was certain that Noel Arrigo was not going to take the road of criminality. The fact that a person makes a mistake does not mean he is bad, the court had said. On the other hand, the mistake should serve as an eye-opener regarding one's own behaviour, it said. The court had said it believed that Arrigo committed the crimes he committed because of friends of dubious character, and that he himself, was weak in character.

In 2011, Arrigo was released from custody from the Mount Carmel Hospital's Forensic Unit, after having served 22 months of his 33-month prison sentence.

Photo: TVM