Maksar gang trial: Bomb suppliers offered Koħħu monthly €1,500 in hush money

That is all for today. Proceedings will continue Tuesday morning. 

A writeup on today's proceedings will be available shortly. 

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Former More Supermarkets director’s testimony read in court

After the prosecution informed the court that witness Etienne Cassar, a former director of Cassar & Schembri with Ryan Schembri was abroad, his testimony during a compilation of evidence sitting in 2021 was read in court. They were partners in the More Supermarkets company. 

He had been asked on whether he knew Carmel Chircop. He was then asked about a Qormi warehouse, and he had explained it was to be used for storage purposes for More Supermarkets.

The witness had explained Carmel Chircop’s name was used for the contract for the space, and he had even forked out €600,000, which was owed to him. The figure was laid out in the contract

Ryan Schembri had fled the country during promise of sale period, and the contract had fell through.

The witness had confirmed the €600,000 was never paid back to Chircop.

All witnesses for Monday conclude testimony 

Prosecution tells court all witnesses for today have testified, and foreign court experts, Netherlands Forensic Institute, are expected to testify on Tuesday morning.

Vince Muscat instructed friend to make payments in Siġġiewi

Lawrence Pace takes the witness stand. The prosecution’s first question is what his nickname is. “Il-Lolly” he replies.

The prosecution then moves to his relationship with Vince Muscat. He says he knew him since he was a young boy.

He then says he was in Ħamrun, when Vince Muscat approached him and told him to go with him to Siġġiewi. When they arrived there, he told him to hand over an envelope with “around six notes of €50” to someone he did not know.

“I arrived near his car, he lowered his car window, and when I handed him the money, he gave me a receipt,” he tells the court.

Asked to describe the person he gave the money to; he says he barely remembers him. “He was seated and young than me.”

He then describes the second time he was asked to do the same thing. “It was around eight/nine months later, and we did the same thing.”

He also never received a reply as to why he was not the one to hand him the money, when the witness asked why Muscat what the payments were for.

We are back inside 

We are back in the courtroom and the session resumes. 

Rental service owner takes witness stand

Jason Camilleri, who used to operate car rental service Jason’s cabs, in St Paul’s Bay, takes the witness stand.

He had rented a Peugeot car to Robert Agius. He says when spoken to by inspector Keith Arnaud, he had been asked on his relationship with Agius.

Camilleri tells the court he knew Robert Agius for around five years. “He used to rent a lot of cars from us. He used to rent a car for his mother, he used to rent a car when he took his personal car for service.”

He also specifies that Robert Agius always dealt with him directly.

After questioning from the prosecution and the magistrate, he clarifies Agius never asked for a specific model.

He is cross-examined by a defence lawyer, and clarifies the police never requested he hand over CCTV or documents related to Robert Agius.

The court breaks until 11:30am.

Brincat is cross examined

A defence lawyer asks him to confirm that he is Vince Muscat’s father-in-law. He is also asked whether his daughter was already receiving money from “maybe someone like Melvin Theuma”. He replies by saying he was not aware of anything.

Brincat is also asked, and clarifies, details of the meeting between him and Jamie Vella. The defence lawyer also wants to confirm he did not know Vella prior to the meeting, and when he later was asked to identify him at the police depot, could not remember his identity.

Vince Muscat’s father-in-law takes witness stand

Peter Brincat takes the witness stand and says that when taking coffee at Rob’s Bar in Marsa in the morning, Jamie Vella entered the establishment.

He says Jamie Vella approached him he would be willing to give him €1,500 a month if he told his daughter, who was Vince Muscat’s partner, to tell Vince Muscat to not say anything to Keith Arnaud.

Brincat says he was later asked to go to the police depot and try and identify Jamie Vella, but he could not, due to his short-sightedness.

Assistant police commissioner Malcom Bondin takes witness stand

He testifies that he was asked to observe a Haz-Zebbug garage. Inside a revolver was found. The assistant commissioner tells court he delivered the arrest warrant for Adrian Agius after spotting him near the garage.

Santa Venera apartment owner takes witness stand

Ruth Chircop, the owner of the Santa Venera flat where the accused had regrouped after killing lawyer Carmel Chircop takes the witness stand.

She tells the court the police had requested a list of who she had rented out the flat, and she did. Jamie Vella was as a person of interest listed by her.

In late 2015 she had rented it to Jamie Vella.

“The place was new, and I had listed the place, and a real estate agent came back to tell me a couple was interested. We had organised an appointment, we spoke a bit, and we decided he can rent it out,” she says. “The apartment was rented out for a year, and he had told me after he wanted to rent it out for a couple more months.”

The reason for Vella renting out the maisonette, the witness was told, was that he was house hunting and wanted to rent in the meantime.

She is asked to identify Jamie Vella in the court room, and proceeds to point at him.

Forensic expert takes witness stand

Forensic expert and police officer Patrick Farrugia takes the witness stand. He is speaking about swabs carried out on organic material found at the crime scenes. Farrugia explains to jurors difference between wet and dry swabs.

Good morning. We are inside the court room. Proceedings begin.