Vitals Case Involving Chris Fearne And Edward Scicluna Split Into Six Separate Cases

A court case against several people, including former minister Chris Fearne and Edward Scicluna, over the Vitals-Steward affair has been split into six separate cases.

As reported by Times of Malta, prosecutors requested the splitting of the cases and the suspects’ defence lawyers agreed. Magistrate Leonard Caruana agreed to this request and split the case into six separate ones, which he will preside over.

Former Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne and former Finance Minister and suspended Central Bank Governor Edward Scicluna will attend sittings together.

A second case will involve former civil servants Alfred Camilleri, Joseph Rapa and Ronald Mizzi.

A third will focus on Kenneth Deguara, Kevin Deguara, Jean Carl Farrugia, Deborah Anne Chappell and the law firm DF Advocates, where they worked at.

A fourth case will focus solely on lawyer Bradley Gatt, a fifth on Aron Mifsud Bonnici and Manuel Castagna, and a sixth on James Camenzuli and Robert Borg.

The latest sitting saw Court Services Agency financial controller Bernice Bugeja present invoices to the tune of £46,919 from Harbinson Forensics, now in liquidation in the UK, for the work they carried out on the inquiry between 12th and 18th September 2022.

Bugeja said the experts were initially staying at the Intercontinental Hotel but moved to the Hotel Excelsior after the Court Services Agency deemed their accommodation costs to be excessive.

Police Inspector Wayne Borg, along with AG lawyers Francesco Refalo, Rebecca Spiteri and Shelby Aquilina, are leading the prosecution.

Giannella De Marco, Franco Debono, Charles Mercieca, Stefano Filletti, Stephen Tonna Lowell, Arthur Azzopardi, Ezekiel Psaila, Jonathan Thompson, Michael Sciriha, and Franco Galea are representing the defendants.