Former Chief Justice Dr. Noel Arrigo, who was also involved in the case, will stand trial over the same accusations in the third week of April.

The sentence was handed down at after 1530CET by Judge Giannino Caruana Demajo, presiding over the trial.

In the sentence, Judge Caruana Demajo said that looking at the case objectively, the accused is to be handed down a jail-term closer to the maximum sentence.  He added that the case damaged the Maltese Judiciary system, especially because of the involvement of drugs.

While noting that the accused admitted to the charges and excused his actions without exception, the case remains of grave nature because it was committed by a former Judge. The sum Dr. Patrick Vella received in return for lessening the sentence handed down to Mario Camilleri will be confiscated.

The defence called for the former Judge to be detained in a centre other than Corradino Corrective Facility, amid fear that he could come in contact with convicts he sentenced to jail. The recourse was rejected.

Lawyers Robert Montalto, Toni Abela, Michael Sciriha and Jose' Herrera appeared for the accused while Lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell led the Prosecution on behalf of the Attorney General.

Former Chief Justice Dr. Noel Arrigo has also chosen to have his case heard without a jury, with Judge Giannino Caruana Demajo giving the verdict.

Mario Camilleri, along with his son Pierre and two other men, Joseph Zammit and Anthony Grech Sant were in 2002 accused of corrupting the two former judges by paying them Lm 5,000 so that l-Imnieħru’s prison sentence would be reduced in the Court of Appeal. In February the prosecuted persons were sent for to testify in court. 

Mario Camilleri is a convicted drug trafficker who had his jail sentence reduced by four years by an Appeals court on which former Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and former Judge Patrick Vella sat. Mario Camilleri, Pierre Camilleri, Joseph Zammit and Anthony Grech Sant are all expected to take the witness stand during the trials.

The allegations against the Chief Justice and Judge came to light on the 1st of August 2002. A motion for them to be removed from their respective posts was presented on the 5th August 2002, followed by their resignation shortly afterwards. Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano succeeded Noel Arrigo on the 26th August 2002.

Read more about the case in MaltaMedia's special feature: Judges on Trial.