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President Refuses To Weigh In As Liam Debono’s Lawyers Drag Her Into Attempted Murder Case

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Left: The President and the police commissioner at the police rally; Right: Liam Debono

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has refused to wade into a legal controversy surrounding her presence at a police rally held in the wake of last May’s infamous hit-and-run on police officer Simon Schembri.

“Her Excellency does not deem it prudent or appropriate to comment on this case while legal proceedings are underway,” a spokesperson for the President told Lovin Malta.

Coleiro Perca had attended the historic rally in Valletta, along with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Opposition leader Adrian Delia, police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and several police officers and members of the public.

The legal team of Liam Debono, the 17-year-old charged with Schembri’s attempted murder, has now filed a judicial protest against the Attorney General on the grounds that the President’s presence at the rally could prejudice the jurors who will eventually have to decide on Debono’s fate.

“As a general rule, the President doesn’t participate in controversial matters and nothing can be more controversial than an ongoing court case,” lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia wrote. “Due to her moral authority, her participation in the protest could very well have created an irremediable prejudice against the accused as it could have conditioned public opinion, and this in the context that jurors will be composed of members of the public.”

“The right to a fair hearing from an independent and impartial court and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty are two of the most fundamental principles of our judicial system and of all systems that respect the rule of law. These rights apply to everyone and to all crimes.”

The Malta Police Association and the Police Officers’ Union, which organised the rally, have insisted the march was not organised in connection with Schembri’s hit-and-run but rather as a public display of solidarity with the police force.

Franco Debono responded to the news by insisting it was the President who unforunately waded into the controversy when she attended the march organised by the police just four days after the hit-and-run.

“Proceedings were pending then as they are pending now,” he said. “There is no clearer comment as one’s presence in that protest. Not only is the victim a police officer, but the police are the ones charging Liam Debono in court as in every criminal case. It is very clear that by attending that protest one took sides. There are two sides. Liam Debono is pleading not guilty to the charges brought forward by the police and he is presumed innocent.”

Moreover, he argued that the President would be placed in an uncomfortable position if Debono asks her for bail – a provision catered for by the Criminal Code as witnessed by the recent case of Christopher Bartolo.

“What will happen if Liam Debono decides to file such an application?” he asked.

READ NEXT: Liam Debono’s Mother Reveals Details Of His Troubled Childhood After Cannabis Accusations: ‘My Son Is Sick’

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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