Reserve juror disqualified in Maksar trial after tablet breach

A reserve juror in the murder trial of four men accused in the killings of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop has been disqualified after being caught with a prohibited electronic tablet.

The man was one of six reserve jurors selected for the trial of Robert and Adrian Agius, known as Tal-Maksar, Jamie Vella, and George Degiorgio. Two of the accused are alleged to have provided the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia in 2017, while all four are facing charges in connection with the 2015 murder of Chircop.

The breach came to light after the man's wife contacted the court, reportedly saying: “Mr, my husband has a tablet in his possession and is trying to communicate with me. I do not want any trouble.”

Court officials immediately investigated. Deputy Registrar Joyce Agius confirmed in court that she confronted the man after dinner. He allegedly confessed and directed staff to where the tablet was hidden, beneath the last drawer in his room’s chest of drawers.

The juror admitted to sending messages to his wife and son about mundane family matters, including clothing and garden upkeep. However, under jury rules, jurors and reserve jurors are strictly forbidden from using electronic devices or making unsupervised contact with the outside world, to preserve the trial’s integrity.

Judge Edwina Grima, who is presiding over the trial, ordered an expert analysis of the tablet and the court-issued phone, stressing that the main jurors were unaware of the incident. She reminded the court that jurors are “judges as much as me” and should not be subjected to searches without just cause.

The defence has reserved its position pending the outcome of the forensic analysis.

Shortly after the disqualification, the trial faced another complication when one of the main jurors fell ill. A medical doctor testified that the juror would need three days of rest. Following this, the first reserve juror was officially brought in to take their place.

The jury in this case is composed of three women and six men, while the reserve pool originally included three male and three female jurors. With one reserve dismissed and another now filling in, four remain in the event of further complications.