Maksar gang trial: 'I don't care who's with her. We'll blow her up nonetheless'

That concludes today's sitting. The next sitting will continue with Vince Muscat's cross-examination next Monday at 9:00am.

We will have a full report of today's sitting available shortly.

“I don’t remember”

Vince Muscat is now repeating the phrase “I don’t remember,” especially when confronted with contradictory testimony.

He is asked who came up with the plan to kill Carmel Chircop, to which Muscat responds that he doesn’t respond. Muscat doesn’t remember whether the hitmen informed the Agius brothers of how they were to kill the lawyer.

“Did they know that you were going to shoot him?” the defence asks. “I don’t remember.”

On the surroundings of the garage complex where Chircop was killed, Muscat is also having trouble recalling certain details. He doesn’t remember how many times the hitmen stalked the lawyer to figure out his routine.

Muscat unsure of details of stalking Carmel Chircop

Another court transcript read out by the defence suggests that Muscat had heard that the Agius brothers owe hundreds of thousands to Chircop from George Degiorgio.

Asked how he knew where Chircop lived, Muscat states that George Degiorgio knew that he lived near the McDonalds in Birkirkara. He said that Robert or Adrian Agius “probably” told them about the addressed. Muscat cannot definitively say who gave them the address.

Neither is Muscat certain of the first time he ever saw Chircop. 

The witness is having trouble remembering a number of facts about the murder.

Defence presses witness on Chircop murder motive

The defence is continuing to pressing the witness on his motives for speaking about the murders he was involved in. 

Going back to his interrogation with Keith Arnaud, the defence asks whether he told the truth despite not taking an oath. He repeats “I’ve always told the truth.” 

Speaking specifically about the Chircop murder, Muscat states that he was not present when the Agius brothers commissioned the murder. He says that he was not present when George Degiorgio was first told about the intention to kill Chircop. 

The defence asked Muscat whether he knew about the motive behind Chirchop’s murder, to which he repeated that this was to do with a sum of almost €800,000 loaned by Carmel Chircop and an expensive villa owned by one of the Maksar brothers.

The defence is now reading from transcripts of Muscat where he was speaking about the Chircop murder’s motive, where he had admitted that he had not heard the motive directly from the Agius brothers

'I've always told the truth'

The defence asks Muscat how certain he is of the testimony he gave during the past two days. He responds the he is fully certain of his testimony. When asked whether he was always truthful with Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra, to which he responds that he was. 

Muscat also maintains that he was truthful in all proceedings. “The truth doesn’t change does it?” the defence asks, to which he responds “Absolutely not.”

When asked whether he wanted anything in return for speaking out, Muscat says that he wanted the families of the victims to know the truth, and that he wanted a presidential pardon.

Muscat is then asked whether he consents to Arthur Azzopardi, his former lawyer, speaking out about the pair’s conversation, but he declines to consent. The witness also confirms that he had spoken about other murder cases separate from the Caruana Galizia and Chricop murders.

Muscat is grilled continuously on his motives behind testifying and telling all about the murders, as he admits that he would’ve spoken about the other murders if he was given a pardon or a reduced sentence.

George Degiorgio was ecstatic when the bombs arrived in Malta

The court asks whether Muscat has anything to add before he is cross-examined by the defence. 

He tells the court that when they were preparing to be raided, the Degiorgio brothers would whisper in each other’s ear and would stop talking when he would approach. He also added that once when the accused were in the potato shed, George Degiorgio was ecstatic when he heard that the bombs had arrived in Malta.

Muscat identifies the accused

Pointing to a piece of paper, Muscat is explaining the layout of the garage complex where Carmel Chircop was shot. 

Turning to another piece of paper which seems to be a bird’s eye view of the garage complex’s surroundings, Muscat goes through the route that was taken by Chirchop’s killers to get to the victim.

Now he is shown what seems to be a piece of paper with handwriting on it. Asked whether he recognises the piece of paper, Muscat responds in the negative. 

The prosecution attempts to read the contents on the piece of paper but it sounds like gibberish. Muscat contends that he doesn’t know what the words mean. 

Asked whether he recognises anyone in the courtroom, Muscat identifies the four accused

The judge and jury have entered.

Vince Muscat has entered the courtroom as well and he will continue to give testimony.

Sitting resumes

Welcome back, journalists have made their way back to the courtroom. We are awaiting the judge and jury to enter the room so the proceeding can resume.

The sitting has been suspended for a short break. It is expected to continue at 3:00pm.

Jury shown Carmel Chircop murder location and Caruana Galizia lookout nest

The jury is now being shown a photo of the locations where the assassins would spy on Caruana Galizia’s home, as well as Vince Muscat’s car.

Muscat is shown a document, but he tells the judge that he cannot read very well. He is able to identify a garage complex in Birkirkara where Carmel Chircop was murdered. It is unsure whether he is shown a photo as it is difficult to make out the document from the observers’ gallery.

“We came in from here,” he tells the court. 

Muscat says Degiorgio brothers would constantly lie about bail

The witness is slamming the Degiorgio brothers’ “lies” that he would hear while in preventive custody. Among some claims, Muscat claims that the brothers had once told them that they were to leave prison on bail because they had bribed a judge with €100,000.

Muscat explains how he heard that Jamie Vella and Robert Agius had offered to pay his family €1,500 every month to prevent him from speaking to the police. 

The defence has objected to this evidence, claiming that it is hearsay. The court states that it cannot stop the witness from providing this form of evidence, adding that it is obliged to explain the strength of the evidence to the jury.

Degiorgio brothers didn’t want Muscat to request bail

The prosecution is asking Muscat about the compilation of evidence against him and the Degiorgio brothers while they were in prison. He states that the brothers were housed in Division 5 and he stayed in Division 8 of the Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF).

Muscat recounts a time when the Degiorgio brothers disagreed with his decision to request bail. He explains that Melvin Theuma once told Muscat that the brothers had a mobile phone inside the CCF and that they were in contact with Theuma.

The witness further explains that every week, his family members would receive payments ranging between €100 and €200. But during prison visits, one of his family members told him that she was uncomfortable with the money, and later asked that they stop. 

Muscat was under the impression that the money was coming from Melvin Theuma. 

Arthur Azzopardi asked Muscat for €6,000

When asked about the last time Muscat saw David Gatt, the witness says that he cannot recall. He explains that Gatt had a habit of showing a thumbs-up motion. According to Alfred Degiorgio, this was a reference to former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Muscat recalls that after ending up in prison, lawyer Arthur Azzopardi would visit him, as he was his lawyer on previous cases. The witness says that Azzopardi wasn’t there to speak about the murder case, but asked for €6,000, to which Muscat agreed to find a way to pay him.

Vince Muscat 'cleaned his car' in preparation of the raid

Vince Muscat is continuing his testimony. He stated that in preparation of the raid, himself, George and Alfred Degiorgio prepared the potato shed “so the police wouldn’t have to hassle to search the place.”

On the day of the raid, Alfred Degiorgio picked up Muscat to go to the potato shed at around 5:00am. Muscat says he “cleaned his car” and left it parked in Msida.

At around 8:00am, the time when Alfred Degiorgio was informed the raid was to take place, Muscat wanted to go get a cup of tea and toast, but was told to stay there. A few minutes after 8:00am the police came and arrested them.

Muscat states that a day before the raid, one of the Degiorgio brothers told him to say that he was being represented by lawyer David Gatt, and so that’s what he told investigators.

Defence requests proceedings to end earlier

The sitting resumes. 

The defence has taken issue with the fact that today's sitting is expected to last until 6:00pm, as it is requesting that the sitting ends sooner. 

The court has turned down the request, adding that until the end of the trial, every sitting on a Saturday will last until 6:00pm.

The sitting has been paused and will continue at around 11:30.

Alfred Degiorgio's and Melvin Theuma's information on the raid matched

Muscat says that he did not ask Alfred Degiorgio where he got wind of the December raid.

He explains that after they were all aware of the raid, they started to clear out some items from the potato shed. Among them was a Labrador dog, as he emphasised that they removed as much items from the shed.

One time, Muscat was with Alfred Degiorgio in the potato shed when Melvin Theuma approached them. Theuma and Degiorgio spoke of the raid, and the pair agreed that their information matched.

George Degiorgio was expecting to be arrested

One morning, Muscat saw Alfred Degiorgio’s boat where it was usually stored, which was a surprise to Muscat as he knew that Degiorgio was meant to go fishing that day.

When Muscat entered the potato shed, Alfred told him that they were expecting a raid on 4 December and that the police would likely arrest and arraign George Degiorgio, while Vince and Alfred would be arrested and released. He explains that they were aware of the upcoming raid some three weeks before it happened.

Muscat then approached George Degiorgio about the raid, and Muscat said “I was expecting this for a while.”

Muscat was surprised, as at the time he did not know Degiorgio had sent the detonating message from his personal mobile phone. He questioned whether George had made a mistake which led the police to suspect him.

The commission for the murder was given in a brown envelope containing €50 and €20 bills

After the explosion, Alfred disposed of some things but could not remember exactly what was thrown out.
Muscat then went to a shop but stated that he could not eat, claiming that he then went to sit on a bench to think for about an hour. 

He explains to the court that shortly after the explosion, he turned on his car radio and heard reports of an explosion. Muscat says that he then turned on a TV and heard former PN leader Adrian Delia speaking about the murder of Caruana Galizia, but he says he cannot remember exactly what was being said.

Days after the murder, Alfred Degiorgio told Melvin Theuma not to go near the Marsa potato shed again, as they discussed how they would get the remaining €120,000 commission for the murder.

Some days later, Muscat drove Alfred Degiorgio to Marsaskala to get the money. The money was in a brown envelope containing €50 and €20 bills, as Muscat questioned why Theuma did not provide large bills. As they were about to leave, Degiorgio told Muscat to drive. “If something happens, I can run off with the money. You can’t run that much,” Degiorgio told the witness.

Assassins did not see or hear the bomb explode

George Degiorgio then left the scene, as the plan was that he would go out to sea on his boat in order to send the detonating message.

On the day of the murder, Muscat says George Degiorgio was on his boat at around 5:00am. He was supposed to be fishing and waiting for a call to send the message that would trigger the bomb.

That morning, Muscat went to Alfred Degiorgio’s flat in Mġarr, had coffee, and waited for time to pass. They then went to one of the spots that overlooked the victim’s home. They sat under an umbrella and waited for a number of hours before detonating the bomb.

While Muscat and Alfred Degiorgio waited, they spotted a man wearing a Go Mobile t-shirt, and worried that they would be spotted. “If he looked at our direction, we wouldn’t have done what we did. For a moment I wish he had seen us.”

At one point, George Degiorgio called the pair, asking what was taking so long. His brother told him not to call them and just wait for their signal to trigger the bomb.

At around 3:00pm, Alfred Degiorgio spotted a flashing light on the gate of the victim’s home. “She’s coming,” Alfred Degiorgio said, calling his brother and telling him to be on standby. However, Caruana Galizia shortly entered her home again after coming out. At this point, Alfred updated his brother on what was happening. 

Muscat tells the court that Alfred Degiorgio told his brother off for pressing the send button too soon. According to the witness, they did not hear the bomb explode and they had already made their way back to their car when it went off.

Muscat details the night the assassins placed the bomb in Caruana Galizia’s car

Muscat tells the court that on 15 October at night, a day before the Caruana Galizia murder, he received a call from Alfred Degiorgio, telling him that her car was outside of her home. Degiorgio told Muscat to go to the Santa Venera garage alone and bring it to Bidnija.

The witness says that the Degiorgo brothers were not the sort of people you would say no to, although he did so reluctantly because he was weary of roadblocks. Muscat explains how that night, he took the bomb from their Santa Venera garage to another garage in Naxxar. 

That night, the Degiorgio brothers and Muscat decided that if Caruana Galizia’s car remained outside her home, they would place the bomb there. He explained that her car was rarely parked outside her home, and so this was a rare opportunity.

The witness explains that late at night, Alfred Degiorgio placed the bomb and the petrol bottle under the driver’s seat in Caruana Galizia’s car, while Muscat made sure that no one approached the scene.

The whole process of opening the car and placing the bomb only took a few minutes, Muscat tells the court. After that, they went to the lookout spot overlooking Caruana Galizia’s house.

'I don't care who's with her. We'll blow her up nonetheless'

The prosecution asks Muscat to testify about one of the times Caruana Galizia was stalked. He explains that he had followed Caruana Galizia and her husband to the Phoenicia Hotel on Independence Day.

The prosecution asks where the bomb was at the time, but Muscat doesn't remember. He then speaks about another time when they followed her in Valletta during the Notte Bianca a few days before her murder.

Muscat says that when they got wind that Caruana Galizia could be at the Notte Bianca, they moved the bomb to a Santa Venera garage as they thought about placing the bomb in her car on that night. He explains that they moved it to Santa Venera because it was closer to Valletta, and so it was less likely that they would encounter traffic while transporting the bomb to Valletta.

Vince Muscat says that on the night of the Notte Bianca, they searched Furjana and Valletta to find Caruana Galizia's car. He testifies that at one point during the night, George Degiorgio said, "I don't care who is with her. We'll blow her up nonetheless."

However, they never found the car that night.

Jamie Vella and Robert Agius gave the assassins the bomb's detonation code

Muscat is testifying about the long code sent by text message that triggered the explosion that killed Caruana Galizia. He explains that the bomb had a sim card very much like that of a mobile phone. “It’s like you have two mobile phones,” he explains.

The witness states that George Degiorgio had the mobile phone on which the code was sent. The code contained many numbers so that the detonating message could never be sent mistakenly.

According to Muscat, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius gave the assassins the code used to detonate the bomb.

Defence accuses prosecution of 'coaching' Muscat

Muscat is refusing to testify about what he had heard about the other car bombs that took out a number of gang-affiliated individuals before Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

The defence is objecting to a number of questions made by the prosecution, as the Attorney General was accused of “coaching” Muscat and repeating the replies he had given on Friday.

The court is telling the Attorney General’s representatives that their questions must not be repeated.

The defence and prosecution are in a heated debate, as the prosecution stresses that it is simply trying to hear the facts that were established in the inquiry about the murders.

Vince Muscat begins testimony

Responding to the prosecution’s questions, Vince Muscat tells the court that he cannot remember how much time had elapsed between when the Maksar brothers had told them that they would supply the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia, and when he actually saw the bomb.

Judge and jurors enter the courtroom

Judge Edwina Grima has just entered the courtroom along with the jurors.

Star witness Vince Muscat to testify

Saturday's sitting is expected to begin with the continuation of testimony from Vince Muscat known as "Il-Koħħu."

Muscat was given a reduced sentence for his involvement in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in exchange for information about the murder of Carmel Chircop. 

Yesterday his testimony gave jurors a detailed account of both murders.

Good morning and welcome to today's live blog. 

The trial by jury against the four men accused of murdering lawyer Carmel Chircop and journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is set to continue this morning.

Adrian Agius stands accused of commissioning the murder of Carmel Chircop, with his brother Robert Agius, Jamie Vella, and George Degiorgio accused of complicity in the killing.

All four men deny the charges. Robert Agius and Degiorgio are also accused of involvement in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.