Update 3 | Former judge’s phone calls intercepted by Security Services, accused granted bail

Two men, Sandro Psaila and Raymond Caruana, who are accused of bribing former judge Raymond Pace have been granted bail on a €5,000 deposit and €10,000 personal guarantee.

Disgraced judge Raymond Pace was intercepted by the Malta Security Services, calling a a career criminal to inform him about an 18-year jail term handed to Darren Desira, 36, of Zebbug back in November.

Police superintendent Paul Vassallo told a court this morning that Pace had been intercepted in a phone call last month informing Sandro Psaila, 40 of Valletta, that Desira had just been jailed for 18 years.

Desira had been jailed after admitting to have conspired to import drugs back in 2002.

The phone call is a crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution in their case against Pace, who according to evidence presented in court this morning shows collusion between the former judge, Psaila and Raymond Caruana, 51 of Zebbug.

Police superintendent Vassallo said that the former judge was paid in favours by Psaila and Caruana who "ate for free" at the Steak House restaurant in Bugibba - which is partly owned by Psaila - where he agreed with Psaila to have his house and a garage, where he breeds birds protected with CCTV camera security, and to have his wife's newly purchased Mini Cooper vehicle repaired for free.

Vassallo told Magistrate Edwina Grima who presided over the hearing this morning, that in a telephone conversation the former judge is heard telling Psaila about Desira's judgement. Psaila then told him: "Ok good, then I will give you those."

The court also heard how Caruana allegedly called another man and threatened him over Desira's judgement.

Frans Caruana from Qawra, was interrogated by Police after he was intercepted as he received a call from accused Raymond Caruana, who allegedly threatened him to pay €2,000 he owed without further delay adding.

The accused allegedly told Frans Caruana over the phone to pay up or "you know what happened to Darren Desira... don't forget that judgement!"

From evidence produced this morning, it transpired that investigations by the security services had been ongoing since August and reached their height in November after Darren Desira was jailed.

Security services chief Godfrey Scicluna presented the CDs with the telephone call recordings which include calls made to both Psaila and Caruana by the former judge.

Police have photographic evidence of the former judge in the company of Raymond Caruana as they collected Mrs Pace's broken-down car from another garage after it sustained damage to the clutch system.

Caruana had told the garage owner that he was to cover the €1,300 costs for repairing the car. The bill has so far not been paid.

Former Judge Pace's wife Lynn was also mentioned during the sitting this morning, and was identified as the person who paid €10,000 in cash for her UK-imported blue Mini Cooper car which costed €13,500. She paid the remaining €3,500 a week later.

The car dealer Clinton Grima said that the €10,000 he received from Mrs. Pace were in turn given to another man to whom he owed money for a garage he had previously bought in exchange for cars.

Police have meanwhile informed the court that another witness, who was engaged by Psaila and Caruana to install a CCTV camera system at his house and a garage where he breeds birds will be separately prosecuted, after it was discovered that he completed the works without declaring VAT.

His case is being fast-tracked so he could be a witness when the case resumes on 30 January 2013.