Item 11 - Processus Criminalis contra Macellarios Andream Falson, Mattheum Hagius, Dominicum Aczupardi, Mattheolum Debono et Gregorium di Jacomo cum Domino public prosecutoro Pro(curatore)

Andrea Falson, Mattheo Agius, Domenicus Azzopardi, Mattheolo Debono, and Gregorio Coyacono of monopoly. They are accused of working together to buy quantities of beef and veal in both Malta and Gozo as well imported from Sicily, generating a false scarcity, and then selling their meat at whatever price they desired. Moreover they agreed to undercut external offers to buy the meat from the other butchers if a third party offered to buy it for less than the expected price. Various witnesses including buthcers were interrogated. Copies of the licence to keep a butcher's shop issued to all the involved butchers included. The sentence of the MCC is not present (17/04/1640) but it seems that they were acquitted, or confirmed in their acquittal by a later sentence on appeal of the ACA (22/08/1640). By a special decree of the Grandmaster (not included, 24/04/1641), Judge Anastasius Surdo was appointed to hear the case again.