Jason Borg Cleared Of Aggravated Drug Possession After Jury Verdict
Jason Borg has been acquitted of aggravated drug possession after a jury found him not guilty by eight votes to one. The verdict was delivered around midnight in a court presided over by Judge Neville Camilleri.
The case stemmed from a police raid in September 2017, during which officers discovered 1.2 kilograms of heroin. Prosecutors alleged that Borg had knowingly possessed the drugs, but his defence argued he was unaware of what the bag contained as reported by Times Of Malta.
Defence lawyer Mario Mifsud described Borg as a vulnerable man who had been manipulated by Nicholas Farrugia, identified by police as a known criminal and drug trafficker. According to the defence, Farrugia had asked Borg to hold the bag for him, and there was no evidence to prove Borg knew it contained narcotics.
Mifsud urged jurors to consider that “any reasonable doubt must work in favour of the accused,” noting that while Farrugia’s name surfaced repeatedly during the trial, the prosecution did not summon him as a witness.
Borg himself testified in court, a move his lawyers described as courageous, asserting that his willingness to take the stand demonstrated transparency and good faith.
Following deliberations, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty, clearing Borg of all charges.
Borg was represented by lawyers Mario Mifsud and Lennox Vella, while the prosecution was led by Kevin Valletta and Cynthia Tomasuolo from the Office of the Attorney General.
The acquittal brings an end to a case that has spanned more than eight years, closing a chapter that centred on questions of trust, manipulation, and the limits of criminal liability in drug-related offences.
Image credit: TVM News
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