Updated | Magistrate revokes arrest warrant and €600 fine to PM's spokesperson

Magistrate Francesco Depasquale revoked a warrant of arrest and €600 in fines issued against the head of communications at the Office of the Prime Minister, Kurt Farrugia.

Farrugia was this morning found twice in contempt of court for failing to turn up for libel hearings filed against him by Richard Cachia Caruana and former head of news of PBS, Natalino Fenech.

Moments later Kurt Farrugia turned up at court and apologised for the oversight as he thought that the court sitting was on the day but at different times. The Magistrate checked the court summons issued by the police and slammed the officers for a number of irregularities found on the court summons. It resulted that from three court hearings to be held today Farrugia was only notified of that scheduled for 13:00h. With regards to the other two summons the court found that OPM's head of communication was in fact not notified of one of the sittings and irregularly notified of the other which was never delivered to him.

The Magistrate told off the police officers for making Farrugia look as if he was to blame when the police were at fault for his absence from court in the morning and revoked the warrant and fines issued against him.

Earlier:

Kurt Farrugia, the Prime Minister's head of communications was fined €600 for failing to turn up at court for two separate hearings.

Farrugia was found in contempt of court and fined €300 for not attending a libel case instituted by former permanent representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana.

A warrant of arrest was ordered against Farrugia.

He was then fined another €300 in the libel case instituted against him by the former head of news of PBS, Natalino Fenech.