Updated | Cyrus Engerer’s case to be heard behind closed doors

Updated at 12:42

The case had attracted considerable media attention after the police charges found their way onto the front page of The Times on July 26, 2011 .

Engerer’s former partner, Marvic Camilleri, had complained to the police that Engerer had circulated compromising photographs of himself to friends and his employer over the internet.

Camilleri later went on to drop his complaint against Engerer, but the case is to be heard because of the charges filed by the Police. The series of charges against Engerer accuse him of keeping and/or circulating pornography and computer misuse.

It remains unclear how the charges were leaked.  The leak took place 10 days after Engerer defected from the Nationalist to the Labour Party.

An inquiry conducted by retired judge Albert Manché said that a political motivation for the charges pressed just 10 days after Engerer’s resignation from the PN, in the highly-politicised aftermath of the divorce referendum, could not be excluded.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Debono criticised the board of inquiry as an “inappropriate forum”.

“The inquiry did not delve into the most important aspect,” Debono stressed. “The inquiry did not - and was possibly not in the best position to - investigate who is responsible for the leak from the police or the law courts, and which possibly could also constitute a criminal offence.”

He added that criminal offences are investigated by the police and by inquiring magistrates, not by boards of inquiry.

On Engerer’s request for the case to be heard behind closed doors, Debono said: “Cyrus Engerer has a right to a fair trial, in all its aspects, like everyone else. The court upheld my client’s request according to Law, which in fact caters for such instances.”