European Court of Human Rights asked to resolve knights’ feud

A former Labour MP is petitioning the European Court of Human Rights to force the Maltese courts to give him a remedy, over a decade-long feud on the administration of a chivalric order.

Alfred Baldacchino, known for having crossed the House over to Dom Mintoff's Labour in the 1970s, is claiming the courts were incorrect when deciding that his case did not qualify as having any civil right or obligation at stake, or that it had no economic value.

Baldacchino has so far unsuccessfully attempted to stop his rivals, 'Count' Sandro Calleja and David Formosa, from organising ceremonies of the chivalric order Ordo Byzantinus Sancti Sepulchri. Both parties are claiming dynastic succession to a Russian chivalric order: Baldacchino says he is the Grand Master of the order, but Calleja says he is the 'regent' of the same order.

Various courts have said that no public authority can recognise any title of nobility, and that they had no jurisdiction over the order. The last decision was taken in January 2013 by a constitutional court, which threw out the dispute.

But in his petition to the European Court of Human Rights, Baldacchino said he did not want the courts to declare whether he holds the true title, but that it declares that he was entitled to administer this particular association.

"The difficulty of the case was simply due to the fact that the association is called an Order. According to the national courts, once the association is called an Order the members cannot go to court for an interpretation of the association's statue."

Baldacchino said that such a restricted view effectively led to a restriction of his right to access to the court.

Baldacchino claims he became Grand Duke of the Rjurik Dynasty after being adopted by his predecessor, Grand Duke Dimitrij. On his part, Carmel 'Sandro' Calleja has claimed in court that only a person of royal blood can claim these titles, so in the absence of a legitimate successor to the Russian duke, Calleja assumed the role of regent until a successor is found.

Baldacchino in the meantime proclaimed himself "the hereditary Prince Grand Master" and anointed his son Frederick and his partner Maria Teresa Fedele, as prince and princess of the defunct Russian dynasty.

Calleja was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for three years, for the falsification of a letter allegedly signed by the late Grand Duke Dimitrij of Russia and published on the internet in an unauthorised website, after the death of the Grand Duke, stating that Baldacchino had been expelled from the Order and that Calleja had been appointed Vicar Grand Master for life and Regent ad interim of the Order.

The European Court of Human Rights' petition was filed by lawyers David Camilleri and Joseph Gatt.