The arraignment of lawyer Mario Mifsud, who is expected to face charges over a courtroom altercation with career criminal Paschalino Cefai, has been postponed to 2nd September.

The charges stem from a heated incident during a court sitting in Gozo earlier this month, where Cefai was appearing as the accused in a traffic collision case and Mifsud was representing the victim.

According to statements made in court, Cefai launched into an aggressive outburst in which he insulted Mifsud and made serious allegations against his brother, Magistrate Joe Mifsud. Among other claims, Cefai accused the magistrate of bringing a bottle of whisky into Corradino Correctional Facility and drinking it with him while he was in custody.

Cefai also directed a string of offensive remarks at the Mifsud family, reportedly calling the lawyer a “barri” (a slang term implying cuckoldry) and claiming that their 86-year-old mother “prostitutes herself in Gżira.” Court police were forced to escort Cefai out of the courtroom after he became increasingly aggressive. He was later readmitted, only to repeat the same insults. The presiding magistrate subsequently ordered an investigation into the incident.

Cefai was arraigned the following day and pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening and insulting Magistrate Joe Mifsud, lawyer Mario Mifsud, and their mother, as well as breaching public peace and violating bail conditions from a previous case. While the Court of Magistrates initially granted him bail, the Attorney General successfully appealed the decision, citing the risk of witness tampering and Cefai’s extensive criminal record. He remains in custody.

Cefai has previously served prison time for offences including stabbing a man in a courtroom, threatening to kill a magistrate and a police inspector, and assault. His record also includes drug importation, breaches of bail, and multiple other convictions.

Meanwhile, the man at the receiving end of Cefai’s courtroom tirade is also facing separate criminal charges.

In a pending case from November 2023, Mario Mifsud is accused of grievously injuring a man during an altercation in Ħamrun, reportedly biting off part of the alleged victim’s nose. According to the police, the incident occurred in front of Mifsud’s legal office, where the lawyer allegedly confronted a man who was walking by with his partner — who is also Mifsud’s client in a civil case.

The man told police that Mifsud attacked him without provocation, bit his nose, and kicked both him and his partner. Mifsud has denied the allegations and claims he acted in self-defence after being assaulted himself. The case is ongoing.

Mifsud has previously been arraigned in two separate cases involving threats, though in both instances the complaints were later withdrawn. In 2019, a woman accused him of harassment while he was representing her estranged husband in court. That case was also dropped following a declaration from Mifsud that he would no longer approach the woman.

In 2021, Mifsud was accused of threatening a Correctional Officer during a court sitting, but that case was similarly closed after the officer withdrew the charges.

He was also convicted of assault in 2012 following an altercation with a woman outside a nightclub, for which he was fined €50 and a protection order was issued. Earlier in his life, he was fined the equivalent of €5,000 in connection with a case involving stolen bank cards while he was employed as a postman.

Mifsud’s arraignment over the courtroom clash with Cefai is now set to take place on 2nd September 2025.