WATCH: ‘See The Truth For Yourself!’ Says Gżira Councillor After Court Rules That Local Contractor Did Not Try To Run Him Over
A Gżira local councillor who was allegedly nearly run over by a Maltese contractor has spoken out after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to prove that he had been physically threatened.
“This sends a bad message. The entire council has lost, and the courts have just stated clearly that whoever has money can do what they want, unbelievable” Jeremy Cardona told Lovin Malta after the ruling.
The case goes back to 2017, when Cardona had alleged that contractor Ivan Stivala had revved his car up and attempted to drive into him as he was crossing Belvedere Street in Gżira, just off the Strand.
Cardona says Stivala then reversed and said: “stay in the middle again so I can run you over.”
A protest was organised following the alleged attack, with various politicians expressing solidarity with Cardona.
However, a court has ruled that the CCTV footage showing the moments before and during the alleged attack did not confirm Cardona’s set of events.
The court said the CCTV footage gave “a clear picture of what exactly happened” and that it didn’t support Cardona’s version of events.
Cardona uploaded the footage of the incident and asked people to see for themselves following the court’s ruling.
Stivala was being charged with a list of offences including attempted grievous bodily harm, reckless driving, as well as insulting and threatening the alleged victim beyond the limits of provocation.
“The voices of the residents have been killed, but I am not going to give up or be scared. Gżira residents have nothing left, not trees, not a piazza, not air, not sun and now not even a voice,” Cardona said.
Ivan Stivala is the brother of the secretary-general of the Malta Developers Association Michael Stivala. Back in 2018 when the incident happened, Michael Stivala had described it as a “personal tiff” between the two men.
Cardona had described what happened in the incident in his own words back then as well.
“I was walking home from work, near the Bayview Hotel which happens to be one of Stivala’s hotels, and he was there and he noticed me passing by, and he peeped the horn at me,” Cardona had said.
“When I looked back I didn’t notice who it was because I hadn’t noticed who was there and I kept on walking,” he continued. “As soon as I was going to cross the road I stopped to see if I could pass. This car drove up and stopped, and the driver made a movement with his head indicating I could pass, so I moved to cross the road, and then I noticed that he had hit the gas and was attempting to run me over.”
What do you think of this ruling?
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