Chris Cardona, David Gatt to testify against alleged bomb suppliers in Caruana Galizia murder trial

Former minister Chris Cardona and lawyer David Gatt will be called to testify in the trial by jury of four men accused of supplying the bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a court has ruled.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima, presiding over the Criminal Court, granted special permission for Cardona and Gatt to be included among the defence witnesses, ensuring that the accused are not denied the opportunity to present what they consider crucial evidence.

The ruling came during pre-trial pleas in the case against Jamie Vella, George Degiorgio, and the Maksar brothers, Adrian and Robert Agius, who are facing criminal charges related to the assassination of Caruana Galizia in October 2017, as well as the 2015 murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop.

Defence claims prosecution withholding evidence

In a previous sitting, Jamie Vella’s lawyer, Ishmael Psaila, had filed a court application requesting that Cardona and Gatt testify. The defence argued that the prosecution was withholding key evidence from hitman-turned-state-witness Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu.

Muscat had previously implicated Cardona and Gatt in both the 2015 and 2017 plots to murder Caruana Galizia. According to the defence, the prosecution had selectively presented parts of Muscat’s testimony while disregarding his allegations against the former minister and lawyer. It also questioned whether Cardona and Gatt were ever formally investigated.

Psaila further alleged that the prosecution had deliberately focused its investigation on the four men currently on trial, rather than extending it to Cardona and Gatt.

Attorney General lawyers contest request

The prosecution, led by Attorney General lawyers Anthony Vella and Godwin Cini, contested the defence’s request. They argued that the defence had failed to demonstrate the relevance of these parts of Muscat’s testimony to the current case.

Furthermore, they noted that even if Cardona and Gatt were called to testify, they had the right to remain silent so as not to incriminate themselves.

Judge grants special permission

In her ruling, Madam Justice Grima was surprised that the defence had only raised this issue at the last minute, on the eve of the trial by jury. She rejected the defence’s request to send the case back to the magistrate’s court for further testimony, stating that such a move would only delay proceedings unnecessarily.

However, to ensure that the accused were not denied an opportunity to present what they deemed important evidence, she allowed Cardona and Gatt to be added to the list of defence witnesses. The judge also reminded that Superintendent Keith Arnaud, a key prosecution witness and lead investigator, could be cross-examined by the defence on the investigation process and who was or was not questioned.

The trial is set to continue with further pre-trial proceedings before the jury is officially empanelled.