Updated: Court revokes Paul Borg Olivier arrest warrant, fine for contempt

A magistrate’s decision finding outgoing PN general secretary in contempt of court and fining him €70 was revoked shortly after it was handed down this morning after it was established that Dr Borg Olivier had been in court all along. Magistrate Edwina Grima had also issued a warrant of arrest against Dr Borg Olivier for not turning up for a court hearing. Dr Borg Olivier had been called to appear in the court in the libel proceedings instituted against him by Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia over allegations linking the latter to the Enemalta oil scandal. He turned up in the courtroom at 9.50am and told reporters his lawyer had been working upstairs in the superior courts. Together with his lawyer, Joseph Zammit Maempel, he waited his turn in the courtroom until other cases were heard. Dr Zammit Maempel said he was in court at 9am and was informed that Dr Mallia was not going to be in court so he expected the case to be deferred. Magistrate Grima said that there was no need for Dr Mallia to be in court but Dr Zammit Maempel insisted that Dr Mallia had to be there for the first sitting. The fine and warrant for Dr Borg Olivier’s arrest were then revoked. Taking the witness...