Referenza: 19/2001

Dettalji tas-Sentenza


Data
09/10/2003
Qorti
OF CRIMINAL APPEAL (SUPERIOR)
Ġudikatura
DE GAETANO VINCENT, FILLETTI JOSEPH A., SCICLUNA DAVID
Partijiet
IR-REPUBBLIKA TA' MALTA vs OMISSIS - ANTHONY FELICE - OMISSIS
ECLI
N/A
Judgement Type
FINAL JUDGEMENT
Kawża Llinkjata
N/A

Kliem Ewlieni / Fil-Qosor


Kliem Ewlieni
APPELL MINN PIENA - DEWMIEN FIL PROCEDURI KRIMINALI - HRUQ B PERIKOLU GHAL TERZI
Fil-Qosor
Huwa veru li kien hemm dewmien - deskritt mill-ewwel Qorti bhala “inspjegabbli” - biex il-Pulizija Ezekuttiva, li kellha l-provi kollha f'idejha, tressaq lill-appellant (u lil Vella u lil Muscat) quddiem il-Qorti Istruttorja. L-appellant jirreferi - bhalma del resto ghamlet referenza ghaliha anke l-ewwel Qorti - ghas-sentenza tal-Qorti Ewropea tad-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem tas-26 ta' Gunju, 2001 fl-ismijiet Beck v. Norway fejn gie indikat li fejn ikun hemm dewmien li jista' jwassal ghal ksur tal-Artikolu 6(1) tal-Konvenzjoni Ewropea, ikun hemm, jew jista' jkun hemm, rimedju effettiv ghal dak id-dewmien jekk it-tribunal ordinarju jirriduci l-piena minn dik li kien altrimenti jaghti tenut kont proprju ta' tali dewmien, b'mod, ghalhekk, li l-individwu koncernat ma jkunx jista' jitqies aktar bhala “vittma” ta' ksur tal-imsemmi Artkolu 6(1). Bid-dovut rigward kemm lejn l-ewwel Qorti kif ukoll lejn l-appellant, din il-Qorti ma tarax ir-relevanza ta' dan il-kaz ta' Beck ghall-kaz in dizamina. Jekk wiehed jezamina sew id-decide f'dik is-sentenza (paragrafi 22 sa 29 tar-rapport ufficjali) isib li kien biss fir-rigward ta' sentejn ta' inattivita` totali bejn meta harget l-akkuza formali (“formal indictment”) kontra Beck (f'Awissu 1989) sakemm l-istess akkuza giet imressqa quddiem il-Qorti ta'Oslo (f'Settembru 1991) li l-Qorti ta' Strasbourg sabet xi haga x'ticcensura. Tibqa', ghalhekk, il-kwistjoni ta' meta wiehed jista' jqis li hemm “a criminal charge” ghall-finijiet tal-Artikolu 6(1).F'dan ir-rigward inghad:

.the Commission decided on a number of occasions that the mere factthat the police are making an investigation or witnesses are being heard, or that a judicial organ makes a preliminary inquiry, does not yet mean that a ‘criminal charge' exists. In order to decide whether Article 6 is applicable, there is need for clear criteria to determine if and from which moment on the person concerned is confronted with a ‘charge'. In its Deweer judgment (27/2/80) the Courtgave the following description of the concept of ‘charge' in the sense of Article 6: ‘the official notification given to an individual by the competent authority of an allegation that he has committeda criminal offence'. The notification marks the beginning of the applicability of Article 6, even if it is formulated in a language which the person concerned does not understand or if it did not reach him. In the Foti Case (10/12/82) the Court made it clear, however, that the existence of a chargeis not always dependant on an official act: “.it may in some instances take the form of other measures which carry the implication of such an allegation and which likewise substantially affect the situation of the suspect”. Examples of such measures are the search of the person's home and/or the seizure of certain goods, the request that a person's immunity be lifted, and the confirmation by thejudge of the sealing of a building.

Din il-Qorti (il-Qorti ta' l-Appell Kriminali) mhix imsejha, pero`, biex tiddetermina jekk kienx hemm o meno xi ksur tal-Artikolu 6(1) imsemmi; anqas qedtitqajjem jew titqanqal xi “kwistjoni” dwar din id-disposizzjoni li tirrikjedi xi referenza lill-Prim Awla tal-Qorti Civili. L-appellant qieghed semplicement ighid li l-ewwel Qorti, fid-determinazzjoni tal-piena, ma haditx in konsiderazzjoni bizzejjed id-“dewmien” li kien hemm (inkluz id-dewmien bejn meta sehh ir-reat sa meta huwa gie biex effettivament jigi ggudikat). U fil-fatt din il-Qorti - ukull Qorti ta' Gustizzja Kriminali - ghandha tqis it-trapass taz-zmien bejn meta jkun sehh ir-reat umeta tigi biex tinghata s-sentenza f'kaz ta' htija, kif ukoll ic-cirkostanzi li jkunu wasslu ghal tali dewmien, bhal, per ezempju, jekk dan kienx dovut minhabba l-agir tal-hati stess - ghax inheba, jew ghax heba t-tracci tar-reat, jew ghax ma kienx maghruf min seta' kien li wettaq dak ir-reat - jewjekk kienx dovut minhabba traskuragni jew inefficjenza tal-organi investigattivi jew gudizzjarji. S'intendi, tali trapass irid imbaghd jigi mwiezen ma' fatturi ohra, fosthom il-gravita` tar-reat u anke l-interessi u l-aspettattivi legittimi tal-vittma jew vittmi. L-ghoti tal-piena entro l-parametrital-ligi mhix xi xjenza preciza bhalma hu l-kalkolu matematiku, izda hija pjuttost arti, u bhal kull rappresentazzjoni artistika, wiehed jista' jaqbel jew ma jaqbilx maghha. Kif gie osservat ga fl-1870 mir-Recorder ta' Birmingham, Matthew Davenport Hill:

'In our attempts to award pain according to desert, we are fated to err either on the side of mercy or of severity. Hence, it has been afavourite habit with editors of newspapers to compare two discrepant sentences with a chuckle of triumph over the folly of one or other of the judges on whose proceedings they are animadverting, without a thought that the judges have neither weight nor scales.'

Fil-kaz in dizamina l-parametri tal-piena huma pjuttost ristretti, kif gie spjegat aktar ‘l fuq. L-ewwel Qorti, kif jidher mis-sentenza, qaghdet hafna attenta biex twiezen l-elementi u fatturi kollha kemm favur ta' riduzzjoni fil-piena kemm dawk kontra tali riduzzjoni. Fost il-fatturi li ttiehdu in konsiderazzjoni in mitigazzjoni kien hemm proprju dak tat-trapass taz-zmien. Ghalhekk din il-Qorti mhix propensa li tikkunsidrariduzzjoni fil-piena minhabba l-imsemmi trapass ta' zmien. Pjuttost din il-Qorti tara li ghandha tikkoncentra fuq dak il-paragrafu tal-aggravji fir-rikors ta' appell - il-paragrafu numru 2 - fejn l-appellant jilmenta bazikament li l-ewwel Qorti ma apprezzatx korrettement l-att materjali tar-reat dequo. Kif diga' gie osservat aktar ‘l fuq, l-ewwel Qorti, fost fatturi li hadet in konsiderazzjoni meta giet biex taghti l-piena, kien hemm dak tal-“perikolu ghal nies innocenti” minhabba n-nar li giemqabbad. Dik il-Qorti qalet hekk:

Il-perikolu ghal nies innocenti li kienu joqghodu fil-blokkta' flats in kwistjoni meta sehhew iz-zewg incendji doluzi msemmija fiz-zewg Kapi ta' l-Att ta' l-Akkuza, kieku n-nirien inxterdu w infirxu aktar milli fil-fatt gara.

Din il-Qorti tosserva, pero`, li l-akkuza kemm fl-ewwel kif ukoll fit-tieni kap kienet dik ta' “hruq bla perikolu ghall-hajja tan-nies” skond l-Artikolu 318 tal-Kodici Kriminali. Huwa veru li z-zewg akkuzi originarjament kienu differenti: dik fl-ewwel kap kienet ta' “hruq b'perikolu komuni” skond l-Artikolu 317(a)(i), filwaqt li dik fit-tieni kap kienet ta' “hruq b'perikolu tal-hajja” skond l-Artikolu 316(a).




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