A jury has found Gordian Azuogu Ohaegbu guilty on all three drug trafficking charges by a 7-2 majority in a case involving nearly two kilograms of cocaine.

Following a five-day trial, the accused was found guilty of all three charges.

As the verdict was delivered in court, Ohaegbu broke down in tears, protesting his innocence.

 "I did nothing. Why? I am innocent. They set me up," he cried, clutching a rosary bead in his fingers.

"For 19 years I've been waiting," he said, in an apparent reference to the delay before the case reached trial, which the Constitutional Court had found breached his right to a timely hearing.

Ohaegbu had pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to traffic cocaine, supplying or distributing the drug, and aggravated possession.

The charges stem from a Police Drug Squad investigation conducted between late 2006 and early 2007.

In February 2007, officers searched an apartment in Mensija Street, St Julian's, where they found 97 capsules containing approximately 955.8 grams of cocaine.

Prosecutors said the drugs had been sold to two individuals for local distribution. 

One man testified that he facilitated the deal by connecting the accused to a buyer and handling the exchange.

He told the court the drugs were delivered in capsule form and that he paid around LM21,000.

Further investigations led to the arrest of another Nigerian national on March 15, 2007, shortly after arriving in Malta from London. 

Medical examinations showed he had ingested 68 capsules containing an additional 788.58 grams of cocaine. The prosecution said the drugs were intended for delivery to Ohaegbu.

At the time, the total quantity, nearly two kilograms, was estimated to have a street value exceeding €230,000.

A 16-year delay

The case was marked by a delay of 16 years before reaching trial.

The Constitutional Court had found that Ohaegbu's right to a hearing within a reasonable time had been breached, describing the situation in which the accused was as both "disastrous" and "frightening". He was awarded €4,500 in compensation.

Proceedings over the years had passed before three magistrates and involved four police inspectors and four different representatives from the Attorney General's office. 

A total of 166 sittings were held, many yielding little or no progress. 

The court attributed the majority of delays to failures on the part of the prosecution, including repeated summoning of witnesses and instances where individuals were called despite being known to be abroad.

Only a limited number of delays were attributed to the defence.

The court had also taken into account the personal impact on the accused. 

Ohaegbu had been denied permission to travel abroad to donate a kidney to his mother, who died before the case concluded. 

He was also unable to attend her funeral, while his assets remained frozen throughout the proceedings.

Following the Constitutional Court ruling, the Attorney General had been ordered to issue an indictment within 30 days, with a warning of a €50 daily fine in case of non-compliance.

The prosecution was led by lawyers Kevin Valletta and Dejan Darmanin from the Office of the Attorney General, together with Inspector Alfredo Mangion. 

The accused was represented by lawyers Edward Gatt and Veronique Dalli.

The case was heard before Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras.

Sentencing submissions will be heard on Tuesday.