Santa Luċija murder suspect arraigned in court following extradition from Morocco

The main suspect in the killing of a 62-year-old man in Santa Luċija last March has been arraigned in court and charged with murder after being extradited to Malta earlier this week.

The Libyan man, Samir Almiri aged 38, was brought to Malta from Casablanca, Morocco, on Tuesday evening.

Although the accused said he spoke some Maltese, he was assisted by an Arabic language interpreter. Asked for his address, Almiri said he had nowhere to stay in Malta at the moment.

Lawyer Leontine Calleja, appearing for Almiri, entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf to the charge of murder and recidivism. Bail was not requested at this stage.

The body of his alleged victim, pensioner Victor McKeon, had been found at Almiri’s former home in Misraħ Dorell, Santa Luċija, on 17 March. The body had been found in an advanced stage of decomposition, wrapped in black garbage bags and left in the bathroom.

An autopsy had shown that the man had been hit on the head and suffocated.

The police had been informed that McKeon had not been seen in public for some time before his body was discovered.

Investigations led the police to believe that the suspect had flown to Morocco before the body of the man had been found.

Six days later, Almiri was arrested in Casablanca and extradition proceedings started.

Lawyers George Camilleri and Karl Muscat from the office of the Attorney General, Superintendent Keith Arnaud and inspector Wayne Camilleri prosecuted. Lawyer Leontine Calleja was legal aid counsel to the accused.