Maksar compilation: Adrian Agius told police he was returning from Sicily ‘retreat’

The court hearing the compilation of evidence against Robert and Adrian Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio has heard how one of the Maksar brothers had just returned from a ‘retreat’ in Sicily when he was arrested.

Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are charged over their involvement in the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, while Adrian Agius and Vella are charged with the 2015 murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop.

Police inspector Malcolm Bondin led the December 4 raid in 2017 on Anton Cachia, who held the keys to the Zebbug garage where Adrian Agius was arrested.

He testified that around 9:15am, while officers were searching the garage, the contents of which consisted mostly of cars and vehicle parts, a black car drove past.

In it, he recognized Adrian Agius, one of the Maksar brothers who was also the subject of an arrest warrant at the time.

The inspector called up Superintendent Keith Arnaud, who instructed him to proceed with Agius’s arrest should the suspect return. When the car did, in fact, return to make a second pass in front of the garage, Agius was arrested.

Agius had told the police that he had just returned from a retreat in Sicily and had stopped to check the garage after noticing the police cars parked nearby.

Former Assistant Commissioner Martin Sammut also testified today, telling the court that he had been on the explosion site in Bidnija within 8 minutes of receiving information about it. Being one of the first people on-site, he had grabbed a fire extinguisher from his car and tried to put out the flames engulfing Daphne Caruana Galizia’s car, but in vain. "My first reaction was to open the door of the car and put out the fire with the fire extinguisher in our car,” he said.

In the meantime, he had informed CPD units, and these were soon tackling the blaze themselves.

Soon afterwards, a man had come running down the road, who was recognized as Matthew Caruana Galizia. It was then that he had concluded that the person inside the car was Daphne, he said. Cross-examined by AG lawyer George Camilleri, he said the body in the car was not identifiable.

The Assistant Commissioner had spoken to Matthew Caruana Galizia, he said. “He was very agitated, and police were trying to calm him down.”

Sammut had helped preserve the crime scene while forensic experts and Europol officers examined it.

The court also heard Miguel Caruana, a friend of George Degiorgio, one of the hitmen who allegedly sent the SMS to activate the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. He said he had been asked to top up Degiorgio’s mobile on the morning of the murder.

Caruana testified that he had received a call from Degiorgio at around 11:30am, and he had bought the requested top-up voucher from a Tarxien bazaar just before it closed for lunch.

He had scratched that voucher and sent the top-up code to Degiorgio via SMS, Caruana explained.  

Two months after that, the police had searched Caruana’s home seized personal possessions which had not yet been returned by police, he said.

The last witness to testify this morning was a mother who witnessed the explosion at Bidnija while driving her infant daughter home from school.

Charlene Abela was driving down Bidnija valley when a car shot out of an alley, right in front of her.

Abela was then driving a few metres behind that car when she spotted a “spark, like a small explosion” beneath the car in front of her, at which point she had instinctively slowed down.

The other car had sped up and then suddenly exploded, a large piece of debris narrowly missing her car on the left-hand side.

As the victim’s car crashed into a field, she saw another vehicle driving in the opposite direction and barely missed the burning wreck.

Both herself and the driver, an elderly man, were in a state of shock, she said.

They had called the Mosta police station to report the incident. Abela was one of the first witnesses heard by the magisterial inquiry, testifying before it the next day. The case continues on Wednesday.

10:40 The case will continue on 14 July at 9am. Laura Calleja

10:40 The witness steps off the stand. The session is finished for today. Laura Calleja

10:39 The witness was one of the first to testify in the inquiry, giving her version to the magistrate the next day. Laura Calleja

10:37 She had met an older man who was also driving nearby, and both were in shock. They had called the police, she says. Laura Calleja

10:36 "I thought something happened to the engine...there was a noise. Then I slowed down nearly to a stop. The other car sped up, and then there was a big explosion, and a large piece of debris went past my car on the left-hand side. The burning car drove straight into a field," Abela tells the court. Laura Calleja

10:35 Charlene Abela takes the stand. She tells the court that on 16 Oct 2017, she had been going to Bidnija towards Mosta and that there was a large scale incident where a car came out of a side road very fast. "I was behind the car. It was dark coloured," the witness recalls. "I saw a small explosion like a spark under the car." Laura Calleja

10:30 Court is now back in session. Laura Calleja

09:35 The sitting is postponed for 30 min until the next witness arrives. Laura Calleja

09:32 The lawyers are now bickering about the relevance of this testimony. Laura Calleja

09:31 Caruana says he had been spoken to about a top-up voucher he had sold to Degiorgio. Laura Calleja

09:30 "I am a friend of George [Degiorgio] ic-Ciniz," Caruana says. The search was because of the Caruana Galizia case. Laura Calleja

09:27 Miguel Caruana takes the stand. The police had searched his home and taken half a van full of items, most of them belonging to his children, he says. He hadn't seen them since. Laura Calleja

09:26 Superintendent Keith Arnaud enters the courtroom. Laura Calleja

09:25 Court-appointed expert lawyer Veronica Spiteri testifies next, presenting transcripts of testimony to the court. Laura Calleja

09:23 The accused have been whispering in each other's ears all through the sitting. Laura Calleja

09:23 The former assistant commissioner steps off the stand. Laura Calleja

09:22 He had spoken to Matthew Caruana Galizia. He was very agitated, and police were trying to calm him down. Laura Calleja

09:19 Cross-examined by AG lawyer George Camilleri, Sammut says the body in the car was not identifiable. Laura Calleja

09:18 Sammut says his involvement in the case was limited to stationing officers at strategic points in the field to preserve the evidence. Laura Calleja

09:17 Soon after, a man came down the road saying that his mother was in the car. He was recognised as Matthew Caruana Galizia, and so it was deduced that the victim was Daphne Caruana Galizia. Laura Calleja

09:16 Sammut says this did not work; Civil Protection was then called. Laura Calleja

09:15 He recounts the now-familiar details. "My first reaction was to open the door of the car and put out the fire with the fire extinguisher in our car." Laura Calleja

09:14 In October 2017, he was informed through a police report that a car had exploded in Bidnija. Sammut had gone to the scene. Laura Calleja

09:13 Sammut is no longer part of the police force but is a prosecutor delegated from Europe. Laura Calleja

09:12 Assistant Commissioner Martin Sammut takes the stand next. Laura Calleja

09:12 Inspector Malcolm Bondin takes the stand first and recounts Adrian Agius' arrest. Laura Calleja

09:11 Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo emerges from chambers and the sitting begins. Laura Calleja

09:01 Good morning. Laura Calleja