Maksar gang trial: Carmel Chircop died after four bullets hit him in garage assassination
Chirchop was struck by four bullets in the back and chest, jurors heard during the Maksar trial
6 May 2025, 9:13am
Maya Galea
Maya Galea
5 min read
‘Tal-Maksar’ brothers, Robert and Adrian Agius, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio are being charged with the murders of lawyer Carmel Chircop and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia
The trial by jury of murders of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop continued on Tuesday morning before Madam Justice Edwina Grima.
The accused are Robert and Adrian Agius, known as the ‘Tal-Maksar’ brothers, Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio.
Vella and Robert Agius are accused of complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by supplying the bomb that killed her in October 2017. Adrian Agius is charged with commissioning the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015.
Inspector Jonathan Attard testified and explained a report he prepared with ballistic experts at the crime scene. He confirmed that six gunshots had been fired in total and that Chircop was struck by four of them, hitting him in the back and chest. The other bullets hit the garage door and another struck the car door of Chircop’s Mercedes.
Metal fragments were also recovered from the garage floor and a bullet was found lodged beneath the license sticker on the windscreen.
Inspector Paul Camilleri explained how, on the day of the murder, the police had received a report of a body lying down in a garage in Birkirkara. Camilleri was responsible for photographing the autopsy conducted in the morgue. The victim's clothing and certain nail cuttings were also seized by Camlleri.
Later on, Inspector Shawn Pawney explained in his testimony how he became involved in the case in 2020 when Vince Muscat, known as “il-Koħħu”, began cooperating with police as part of a plea bargain linked to the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination. Information from Muscat implicated the Tal-Maksar brothers and Jamie Vella in lawyer Carmel Chircop’s murder.
Pawney explained his involvement during the arrest of Adrian Agius and remembered seizing several other items from his car, including a Samsung mobile phone, €3,000 in cash, a black bag, and several personal documents.
Another inspector took the stand to confirm the arrest of Agius in Baħrija and the subsequent search of both his vehicle and his residence in Mellieħa. Items found included a Louis Vuitton bag, a Hugo Boss wallet, €3,000 in cash, a Samsung mobile, a laptop case, and a transparent plastic bag wrapped in brown tape.
Inspector Lydon Zammit later described his involvement in the arrest of Jamie Vella, identifying him in court. As a member of the CID at the time, Zammit participated in the search of Vella’s Swieqi residence. Vella’s then-girlfriend, Naomi Pace, was present during the operation. Four cars, a Volvo, Citroen, Mercedes, and BMW were found in the basement.
When defence lawyer Amadeus Cachia, representing Vella, asked if anything suspicious had been recovered, Zammit replied that some branded clothing had been found in Pace’s room. Cachia remarked: “Since when is branded clothing considered suspicious?”. Zammit said that nothing of major concern was recovered.
Inspector Sherona Buhagiar also confirmed that no suspicious items were discovered while searching the girlfriend’s room.
Jurors heard that 10 mobile phones were found during the search: five in the kitchen and five scattered around the residence. On Vella’s person, a Volvo car key and €70 in cash was found.
Vella had informed the officers upon arrival that he was COVID-19 positive and provided a medical document as proof. All police inspectors confirmed under cross-examination that Vella cooperated fully during the arrest. However, when asked whether they confirmed ownership of the residence or checked if the phones were functioning, he admitted they had not.
Later, another witness claimed that Vella had told officers at the time of his arrest that “I was expecting you, as I know certain people have started talking.”
Defence lawyer Amadeus Cachia questioned why this alleged statement was never recorded in the compilation of evidence or in the witnesses’ official notes. The inspector on the stand replied that he did not know. Madam Justice Edwina Grima asked him to confirm that he is certain of this statement, and he affirmed so. However, this was not reiterated by any of the other police officers who took the witness stand.
Inspector Kevin Curmi testified about the arrest of Robert Agius in connection with the murder of Carmel Chircop.
Agius was stopped in his Mercedes in Baħrija and served an arrest warrant. Police found €200 in cash, several mobile phones, SIM cards, and about 30 keys on him. A further €49,500 was discovered in a paper bag inside his car.
A search of his home uncovered more mobile phones, €25,180 in cash, weapons, ammunition, and a counterfeit money printing machine. In his garage, several vehicles including an Audi, two Mercedes, a Mitsubishi, and three motorcycles were seen.
Another witness confirmed that a weapon was found in a safe in Agius’s residence. Defence lawyer Rene Darmanin asked the witness if he was aware that the weapon was registered to Agius’ wife, Denise Agius. “Can you confirm that the weapons were not registered irregularly or illegally?” “I cannot confirm, I did not check”, the witness replied.
Several other police officers explained in further detail regarding the arrests of Jamie Vella and Adrian and Robert Agius. A certain police inspector explained in detail the photographic evidence, how he placed them into several evidence bags and later passed them on to the respective police officers in charge of evidence. These photographs were also shown to the jurors on the television courtroom and a substantive amount of cash elevated from Robert Agius was seen.
Jury proceedings will continue on Wednesday.
Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are representing the Attorney General’s office.
Defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is appearing for Adrian Agius, Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia for Jamie Vella, Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin representing Robert Agius, and Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri for George Degiorgio.
Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.
Maya Galea is a MaltaToday court reporter. She is a second year law student at the Univers...
Session's over
That was the last witness of the day. Thank you for following this live blog with us. We will be reporting live from the courtroom again tomorrow.
Police testify on Agius's arrest
Police inspectors Brandon borg and Abigail Grech are next on the witness stand. Borg is repeating details from earlier about Robert Agius's arrest, relating to documentation of evidence and preservation of seized items. The witness explains how he took many photos of the scenes. He confirms documents which show the photographs taken by him showing many bags of evidence.
Jurors shown photos of seized items
Police inspector Antoine Fenech, who was also involved in the arrest of Jamie Vella takes the stand.
He mentions the names of the police officers who were part of his team – all from the Major Crimes Unit. Photos of the residence and the items elevated are being shown to the jurors on the television courtroom.
Gun belonging to Robert Agius’s wife found in safe
Another witness confirmed that a weapon was found in a safe at Robert Agius’s residence. Defence lawyer Rene Darmanin asks the witness if he was aware that the weapon was registered to Agius’ wife, Denise Agius. “Can you confirm that the weapons were not registered irregularly or illegally?”
“I cannot confirm, I did not check”, he replies.
Robert Agius had thousands in cash, weapons and ammunition at home
The arrest of Robert Agius in connection to the Carmel Chircop murder is being explained next by witness inspector Kevin Curmi.
The police had stopped Agius’s Mercedes in Baħrija and he was given copies of the warrants issued against him.
A sum of €200 in cash was found on his person. The witness also stated that several mobile phones and SIM cards and approximately 30 keys were recovered. Additionally, €49,500 was found in a paper bag in his car.
A search of Agius’s residence led to the recovery of more mobile phones, €25,180 in cash, weapons and ammunition, as well as a printing machine used to produce counterfeit money.
In his garage, an Audi, two Mercedes, a Mitsubishi, a black Honda motorcycle, a black Yamaha motorcycle, and a blue Honda motorcycle were found. These vehicles were sealed, except for the Audi which was under an order not to be sealed.
The jurors are making their way back to the courtroom as the sitting continues.
The proceeding has been put on pause as jurors head for a break.
The sitting will continue at around 3:00pm.
Defence questions why Vella’s statement was never mentioned
“How did you never mention that Jamie said this, in the compilation of evidence or in your notes? And why are you mentioning this now? Inspector Buhagiar never mentioned this also”. defence lawyer Cachia asks. He replies that he does not know.
Madam Justice Edwina Grima asks the witness if he’s completely sure if Vella said this statement and the witness confirms once again.
‘I was expecting you,’ Jamie Vella told police
It is also heard in court that Jamie Vella had told police officers who showed up to arrest him: “I was expecting you as I know certain people have opened their mouths”
Police found 10 mobile phones belonging to Jamie Vella
A separate police constable testifies on the fact that during the searches, five mobile phones were found in the kitchen and an additional five mobile phones on various furniture pieces.
On his person, the car key of the Volvo car and €70 was found. The car keys of the other cars were found in the respective vehicle’s ignition.
Upon their arrival at the residence, Vella informed them that he was positive for Covid-19, and had backedup his statement by showing police officers a medical document. The constable said Vella cooperated with the police, upon cross-examination by defence lawyer Amadeus Cachia.
“Did you check if the residence was Vella’s for sure?” he asks. No, the constable replies.
Jamie Vella had a three-storey house and four luxury cars
Inspector Lydon Zammit takes the stand and tells the court he was involved in the Arrest of Jamie Vella.
He was part of the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) at the time of the investigations of the murders of Carmel Chircop and Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Detailing the day he was arrested, the inspector said they arrived at Vella’s residence in Swieqi and search was carried out in the three floors of the residence.
Naomi Pace, his girlfriend at the time, was at the place too and the witness ordered that the search of her room is carried out by a female police officer.
Four cars were at the basement of the residence, a Volvo, Citroen, Mercedes and a BMW. He identifies the accused, Jamie Vella in the courtroom.
Defence lawyer Amadeus Cachia, for Jamie Vella, asks the witness “was anything suspicious elevated from the residence?”
The inspector replies: “certain branded clothing was found in the girlfriend’s room”.
Lawyer Cachia replies: “since when is branded clothing considered as suspicious?”. The witness went on to confirm that nothing of note was discovered during the searches carried out during Vella’s arrest.
Inspector Sherona Buhagiar is next. She explains in court that she was involved in the search of Naomi’s room. She found two empty iPad boxes and an iPhone mobile phone, confirming
she found nothing of suspicion during the search.
We are back
Journalists, jurors and lawyers are back in the courtroom, and the session continues.
Court on break
Another two police inspectors give the same detailed explanation on the arrest of Adrian Agius and the searches carried out at his properties and car.
The court will be having a short break till 11:30am. We will continue this liveblog when the session resumes.
Black Samsung phone, €3,000 in cash found inside Adrian Agius’s car
Inspector Shawn Pawney takes the witness stand.
He was first involved in the case in 2020 and was assisting the homicide unit after Vince Muscat, known il-Koħħu, was revealing information to the police about the murder of Carmel Chircop.
He was informed that an arrest warrant for the Tal-Maksar brothers and Jamie Vella was issued. They were arrested by three different teams from the police homicide unit. Pawney was responsible for the arrest of Adrian Agius.
The witness said that inside a car belonging to Adrian Agius in a compartment under the seat, a brown substance was found which was a mix of paracetamol and caffeine. He explains these are substances mixed with cocaine in order to get a large dose, and therefore bigger profits.
Further investigations revealed the car was actually registered to another woman, Josephine Bugeja, but there was no relation between the two.
He tells the court of other items seized from Agius’ car. A black bag with a Samsung mobile phone, €3,000 in cash and the accused’s personal documents were found, he tells court.
Another police inspector testifies on the arrest of Adrian Agius, and the searches carried out on his Seat vehicle and his residence.
He was arrested in Baħrija. He confirms Pawney’s previous testimony and explains again that, a Louis Vuitton bag, a Samsung mobile phone, a Hugo boss wallet, €3,000 in cash, a laptop case and several documents were found. A transparent plastic bag, with brown tape, was also found.
Carmel Chircop was hit by four bullets in murder shooting
Inspector Paul Camilleri is the first to take the witness stand on Tuesday morning.
Camilleri testifies on the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop.
At the time of the murder, he was a police sergeant, stationed with the police Forensic Unit.
A report had been received by the Birkirkara police station, saying that a corpse was found in a garage. His role was related to preserving the evidence on the scene, preliminary investigations on the corpse and taking photographs of the autopsy in the morgue.
The victim’s clothing, certain nail cuttings and nail scrapings were elevated by him. Court medical expert Mario Scerri was present, he explains.
The jurors are shown the photographs that he mentions.
Inspector Jonathan Attard is next on the witness stand.
He explains how he had prepared a report with Brigadier Calleja after ballistic experts went to the garage where Chircop was found dead.
Six shots in total were fired. A hole was found in the car door of the car, clearly showing that the shot was fired from outside the car. A bullet was found on the windscreen of the car, under the licence sticker. It resulted that Chircop was hit by four bullets fired in his back and chest. The witness said that the bullets were fired from a distance of 2m away from the victim.
Proceedings kickoff on Tuesday morning
Good morning, MaltaToday court reporter Maya Galea is inside the courtroom, and proceedings will begin shortly.