Il-Qorti:
1. Dan hu provvediment limitat ghat-tieni talba kontenuta fir-rikors tal-
appellant Andre` Guelfi tat-2 ta’ Gunu 2006 (fol. 22 et seq. tal-atti ta’ l-
appell), u cioe` ghat-talba sabiex jigu sospizi dawn il-proceduri ta’ appell
skond ma jipprovdi l-Artikolu 46 tal-Council Regulation (EC) no. 44/2001
tat-22 ta’ Dicembru 2000.
2. Permezz ta’ sentenza moghtija mill-Qorti tal-Appell ta’ Parigi, Franza,
u aktar precisament mid-9eme Chambre des Appels Correctionnels,
section B, Cour d’Appel de Paris fil-31 ta’ Marzu 2005, is-socjeta` Elf
Aquitaine giet kanonizzata kreditrici ta’ Andre` Guelfi f’diversi somom, bl-
imghaxijiet dekorribbli minn diversi dati. B’rikors presentat fil-Prim Awla
tal-Qorti Civili fl-14 ta’ Novembru 2005, l-imsemmija socjeta` talbet li
s-sentenza tal-Qorti tal-Appell ta’ Parigi tigi dikjarata li hija ezegwibbli
bhallikieku kienet sentenza moghtija mill-imsemmija Prim Awla, u dan
a tenur tal-Council Regulation aktar ‘l fuq imsemmi; talbet ukoll li dik il-
Qorti tordna li l-partijiet jigu mgharrfa bil-provvediment ghall-finijiet u
effetti tal-Artikolu 42 tal-istess Regolament.
3. B’digriet moghti fl-24 ta’ Novembru 2005, il-Prim Awla tal-Qorti Civili
laqghet it-talbiet tas-socjeta` rikorrenti, illum appellata.
4. Andre` Guelfi appella minn din id-decizjoni b’rikors presentat fis-27 ta’
April 2006, permezz ta’ liema rikors huwa talab, ghar-ragunijiet imfissra
fl-istess rikors, li din il- Qorti thassar is-sentenza appellata billi tiddikjara
li ddecizjoni tal-Qorti tal-Appell ta’ Parigi ma tistax tigi infurzata f’Malta
ai termini tar-Regolament 44/2001. Issocjeta` Elf Aquitaine wiegbet ghal
dan ir-rikors b’risposta ppresentata fit-22 ta’ Mejju 2006 (fol. 9 tal-atti
tal-appell).
5. Intant, b’rikors iehor ippresentat fit-2 ta’ Gunju 2006, l-appellant Guelfi
talab, inter alia, li din il-Qorti tissospendi dawn il-proceduri ta’ appell
fit-termini tal-Artikolu 46 imsemmi, u dan ghar-raguni, fost ohrajn, li
kien gie intavolat appell lill-Qorti ta’ Kassazzjoni. B’risposta datata 15 ta’
Gunju 2006, is-socjeta` Elf Aquitaine opponiet ittalba ghas-sospensjoni.
Wara li din il-Qorti semghet labbili difensuri tal-partijiet fid-diversi udjenzi
pero` l-aktar fl-udjenza tat-12 ta’ Lulju 2006, u wara li ezaminat ukoll
iddokument ezibit a fol. 142 sa 235 tal-atti ta’ dana l-appell (li huwa kopja
bl-Ingliz tal-petizzjoni jew rikors, bil-Franciz, quddiem il-Kassazzjoni,
Dok A anness mar-rikors tat-2 ta’ Gunju 2006), din il-Qorti taghmel is-
segwenti osservazzjonijiet:
6. L-Artikolu 46 tar-Regolament in kwistjoni jipprovdi, fil-parti relevanti
tieghu, hekk: The court with which an appeal is lodged under Article 43 or
Article 44 may, on the application of the party against whom enforcement
is sought, stay the proceedings if an ordinary appeal has been lodged
against the judgment in the Member State of origin or if the time for such
an appeal has not yet expired; in the latter case, the court may specify
the time within which such an appeal is to be lodged.
7. Kif gie osservat mill-Qorti Ewropea tal-Gustizzja filkaz Industrial
Diamond Supplies v. Riva, l-espressjoni “ordinary appeal” ghandha
tinghata interpretazzjoni awtonoma fil-kuntest tal-Konvenzjoni ta’
Brussels – illum integrata fir-Regolament in dizamina – u ghalhekk
definizzjoni “kommunitarja”: “Considered from this point of view,”
osservat dik il-Qorti, “the expression ‘ordinary appeal’ must be
understood as meaning any appeal which forms part of the normal course
of an action and which, as such, constitutes a procedural development
which any party must reasonably expect. It is necessary to consider that
any appeal bound by the law to a specific period of time which starts
to run by virtue of the actual decision whose enforcement is sought
constitutes such a development.” U ghalhekk: “Within the meaning of
Articles [37 and 46]…, any appeal which is such that may result in the
annulment of the judgment which is the subject matter of the procedure
for recognition or enforcement under the Convention and the lodging of
which is bound, in the State in which the judgment was given, to a period
which is laid down by the law and starts to run by virtue of that same
judgment constitutes an ‘ordinary appeal’ which has been lodged or which
may be lodged against a foreign judgment.”
8. Fil-fehma kunsidrata ta’ din il-Qorti, l-appell li gie intavolat minn
Andre` Guelfi quddiem il-Qorti ta’ Kassazzjoni jammonta ghal “ordinary
appeal” fis-sens talimsemmi Artikolu 46 tar-Regolament. Ma ngab ebda
argument konvincenti mill-kontro-parti, sia fir-risposta tal- 15 ta’ Gunju
2006 kif ukoll fil-kors tat-trattazzjoni orali, ghala dan ma ghandux ikun
hekk. Il-fatt, pero`, li tali appell huwa meqjus bhala “ordinary appeal”
ma jfissirx neccessarjament li din il-Qorti ghandha tissospendi dawn il-
proceduri ta’ appell (quddiemha) pendenti l-ezitu talappell fil-Kassazzjoni.
L-Artikolu 46 jitkellem dwar “may…stay proceedings” u mhux “shall…stay
proceedings”. Dan ghalhekk huwa fin-natura ta’ poter moghti lil din il-
Qorti u mhux ta’ xi obbligu impost fuqha, li hekk tissospendi. Kif inghad
fis-sentenza ga kkwotata ta’ Industrial Diamond Supplies v. Riva, “This
fact presupposes a sufficiently broad interpretation of the concept of
‘ordinary appeal’ to enable that court to stay the proceedings whenever
reasonable doubt arises with regard to the fate of the decision in the
State in which it was given. It is possible by applying this criterion alone
to decide the outcome of a request for recognition or enforcement based
on a judgment which, in the State in which the judgment was given, is
at present the subject of an appeal which may lead to the annulment or
amendment of the judgment in question”. Mill-banda l-ohra, kif tajjeb
josservaw l-awturi ta’ European Civil Practice, “…the above must be
balanced against the intention of the Brussels-Lugano regime as a whole
and in particular Chapter III whereby the regime ‘is intended to ensure
the rapid enforcement of judgments with a minimum of formalities when
those judgments are enforceable in the state in which they are given.’ It
can be deduced from this overall purpose that the enforcing court should
not adopt a general practice of depriving a successful claimant of the
fruits of the judgment by the imposition of a more or less automatic stay,
merely on the ground that there is a pending appeal.”
9. Fil-fehma ta’ din il-Qorti, fattur importanti li jrid jittiehed in
konsiderazzjoni fl-ezercizzju ta’ dina ddiskrezzjoni huwa il-pregudizzju
(ankorke` potenzjali) li lpartijiet jistghu jsofru bid-decizjoni ta’ din il-
Qorti li tissospendi o meno dawn il-proceduri pendenti l-ezitu ta’ lappell
(f’dan il-kaz, tad-decizjoni tal-Qorti ta’ Kassazzjoni). Dan huwa wkoll in
linea ma’ dak li jipprovdi s-subartikolu (7) tal-Artikolu 266 tal-Kodici ta’
Organizzazzjoni u Procedura Civili fir-rigward tal-ezekuzzjoni provvisorja
ta’ sentenza li tkun ghadha ma tikkostitwix gudikat, kif ukoll ilparagrafu
(b) tas-subartikolu (2) tal-Artikolu 823 ta’ l-istess Kodici in tema tas-
sospensjoni tal-esekuzzjoni ta’ sentenza pendenti ritrattazzjoni.
10. Fil-kaz in dizamina, jirrizulta li s-socjeta` appellata Elf Aquitaine diga`
hadet hsieb, permezz tal-mandat kawtelatorju ta’ inbizzjoni u ta’ mandat
ta’ sekwestru kawtelatorju, li zzomm milli l-appellant Guelfi jiddisponi b’xi
mod mir-residenza tieghu u assi ohra f’Malta – ara lverbal tal-udjenza
tat-12 ta’ Lulju 2006 – u dan in forza ta’ dak li jiddisponi l-Artikolu 31 tar-
Regolament 44/2001.
11. Tenut kont tac-cirkostanzi kollha tal-kaz, ghalhekk, hija l-fehma ta’
din il-Qorti li ghandha tilqa’ t-talba (it-tieni talba) kontenuta fir-rikors
tat-2 ta’ Gunju 2006, bilkundizzjonijiet infraskritti.
12. Ghall-motivi premessi, tissospendi dawn il-proceduri fit-termini tal-
Artikolu 46(1) tar-Regolament 44/2001 u dan rebus sic stantibus, b’dan
illi kull wahda mill-partijiet ikollha d-dritt li tadixxi lil din il-Qorti ghall-
kontinwazzjoni ta’ dawn il-proceduri wara li jigu determinati l-proceduri
fil- Kassazzjoni jew, anke qabel, jekk ikun hemm bdil ficcirkostanzi li fil-
fehma ta’ parti jew ohra tkun timmilita favur il-kontinwazzjoni ta’ dawn il-
proceduri. Nel frattemp ilproceduri odjerni m’ghandhomx jibqghu jidhru
fuq il-lista ta’ din il-Qorti.