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local
news
Fear drove 'ic-Caqwes' to his grave
Hopes
fade of solving Caruana murder
by
Ray Abdilla
Close friends of the late Nicholas Ellul, who died of an overdose
Tuesday morning, have informed MaltaToday that it was fear that
drove him to his grave.
Ellul, better known as ‘ic-Caqwes', who had resided in Valletta,
was awaiting trial for the murder of Raymond Caruana - a 29-year-old
Nationalist Party activist – who was shot at Gudja's Nationalist
Party club on 5 December 1986. Ellul died of an overdose.
Close friends of the late accused told MaltaToday that ‘ic-Caqwes'
had been unable to cope with the uncertainty of when his trial
by jury would commence, a date still not confirmed some 15 years
after the tragic incident. This, they said, had made him severely
depressed and nervous. In fact, he had recently undergone treatment
for severe depression at Mount Carmel Hospital.
With both men formerly linked to the case – 'ic-Caqwes' and
'il-Pupa' - now dead, one cannot help wondering whether the truth
of the case will ever be known.
‘Ic-Caqwes' had always insisted upon his innocence, alleging
that he was framed. Although Ellul was no stranger to run-ins
with the police, the uncertainty surrounding his case was beginning
to take its toll and he had been found, on more than one occasion,
under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
In fact, some weeks ago, policemen had found Ellul in a sorry
state and accordingly escorted him to St Luke's hospital. He was
later transferred to Mount Carmel hospital, where he could receive
the appropriate treatment and medicine for his condition. Even
at the institution there were times when he refused medication,
stating he would be better off dead.
Ellul's co-accused, the late Giovanni Psaila, better known as
‘Ganni il-Pupa', had claimed in court that his fundamental
human right to freedom had been violated during his detention.
In his application filed before the First Hall of the Civil Court,
Psaila had claimed that he been made an offer to testify in the
criminal proceedings filed against Nicholas Ellul before the Magistrates
Court.
Psaila had declared that a third party had offered him a presidential
pardon and a sum of money if he told the truth about the case
pending against Ellul and under the condition that Psaila did
not reveal the third party's identity identity.
Ellul was reportedly distressed when Psaila died, as he was certain
that his testimony would have helped his case.
However, with both protagonists out of the picture now, it appears
increasingly doubtful as to whether the case will ever be solved.
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