Watch: Maltese Ex-Prisoner ‘Who Turned His Life Around’ Back In Jail For Old Drug Crime
A Maltese man who “turned his life around” after being released from prison was sent back to jail for ten years over drug crimes he committed over a decade ago.
Brian Bartolo was jailed in 2021 for two sentences relating to trafficking of cannabis and cocaine that date back to 2009 and 2011.
In Parliament yesterday, PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut said he recently met Bartolo and learned of his story while touring an EU-funded research project into solar panels.
“While they were showing me around, they told me the software was completely developed by a prisoner who had turned his life around, graduated as an engineer from MCAST, obtained an electrician’s license and started a Master’s course,” he said.
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“I met him to give him courage, engineer to engineer, but while speaking to him I learned a lot about the justice system.”
Sammut said he found out Bartolo had served a prison sentence due to a drug crime but managed to turn his life around, graduating as an engineer, setting up his own company, getting married and having two children.
At one point, he started working at MCAST but was fired, allegedly due to his criminal record. Back then, PL MP Glenn Bedingfield warned the government was sending out conflicting messages about the reintegration of prisoners into society.
Two years ago, he was sent back to prison for ten years, and Sammut criticised the Attorney General for choosing to prosecute the two cases separately rather than combining them.
PL MP Glenn Bedingfield brought up Bartolo's case in 2020
“The Attorney General helps police find reasons not to charge major criminals, but then tries to destroy drug victims,” he warned.
“Brian and his wife had to try and get their children to understand why their dad must leave them again. His children asked why their daddy was going to prison when he is not a bad man.”
“How do you tell a child of 9-10 years old that Malta Ġusta wants to punish their dad for mistakes he made before they were even born, even though he reformed himself?”
He also warned that Bartolo is facing a third charge, meaning he could get sentenced to prison for a third time.
“Where is the justice? What is society gaining from this? Our courts need to be given more discretion to consider the whole picture, especially considering this isn’t about murder or violent crime but a drug victim who has been clean for years.”
Do you think the courts need to be given more discretion in cases like this?
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