Maksar gang trial: Prosecution explains how evidence confirms Vince Muscat's testimony

That concludes today's sitting.

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

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Prosecution further explains charges

The prosecution is making the same check-list for the charges involving the possession of unlicensed firearms and the nature of the explosion that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia. Prosecutor Anthony Vella explains that if the jury finds the accused guilty of the first two charges outlined in the previous check-lists, they must find them guilty of the firearms charges.

‘We wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t believe Vince Muscat’s testimony’

The prosecution is telling the jury that investigators did not simply rely on the testimony of Vince Muscat. “I can assure you that we wouldn’t be here today if we didn’t believe this testimony,” Anthony Vella says, adding that the testimony was corroborated by facts and evidence.

“Did the accused Robert Agius and Jamie Vella render themselves complicit in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia?” he asks the prosecution.

“Did Robert Agius and Jamie Vella have the intention of killing Daphne Caruana Galizia or at least placing her life in danger?” 

“Did Daphne Caruana Galizia die due to this aggression?” He notes that the jury saw how the victim ended up.

“Was the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia illegal?

We're back.

The prosecution continues its address to the jury.

We're heading for a short break.

The sitting will resume at around 4:45pm.

Prosecution explains complicity

The prosecution is now explaining the meaning of complicity in a murder case. “We’ve seen where the bomb was turned on,” he notes referring to the Mosta villa.

“Did Robert and Adrian Agius render themselves complicit when they planned and commissioned the murder of Charmel Chircop?”

“Did Robert and Adrian Agius have the intention of killing Carmel Chircop?”

“Did Carmel Chircop die from this aggression?”

“Was the murder of Carmel Chircop illegal?”

Prosecution goes over ‘checklist’ for jurors to base their decision

“Why would Vince Muscat point his finger at the accused if they weren’t involved in the murders?” the prosecution asks. The jurors are also told that when the accused were told that Muscat was speaking to the police, they looked surprised.

The prosecution is once again explaining the charges against the accused, and telling them how their actions fit the crime. Prosecutor Anthony Vella tells jurors to see their decision as a checklist of questions.

“Were the accused George Degiorgio and Jamie Vella responsible for the death of Carmel Chircop after they shot him from their car?”

“When George Degiorgio and Jamie Vella did this, did they intend to kill or hurt him?”

“Did Carmel Chircop die from this aggression?”

“Was the murder of Carmel Chircop illegal?”

“The answer is a resounding yes,” Vella tells jurors, urging them if they agree they should find the accused guilty

Prosecution questions why suspects had 25 mobile phones between them

The prosecution is going over the run-up to the Caruana Galizia murder according to Melvin Theuma and Vince Muscat, explaining that the pair’s version of events match and corroborate each other. 

Prosecutor Anthony Vella notes that the accused had no assets under their own name, reminding that their garages were rented, their vehicles and weapons were registered under other people’s names. He added that they used burner phones to limit any trace of their involvement in the murders.

The prosecution notes that while nothing illegal was found in the accused’s homes, a total of 25 mobile phones were elevated, further adding that the suspects knew of their upcoming arrests.

“Why would someone do this?” he asks the jurors. “These people are very careful.”

Court is back in session.

The sitting has been paused for a break until 3:00pm.

'If Vince Muscat was lying, would the evidence confirm what he said?'

The prosecution is meticulously going over the data gathered by investigators that show the movements of the hitmen in the Caruana Galizia murder, as well as the movements of the bomb.

Jurors are shown hourly location updates of the burner phones used by the hitmen.

“If Vince Muscat was lying, would the evidence confirm what he said?” the prosecution asks. He thanks the jurors for their patience, acknowledging that following the mobile phone data was not easy

‘You must decide whether these are only coincidences’

The prosecution is going over the data gathered by investigators regarding the movement of the burner phones used in the Caruana Galizia murder. The jury is shown how investigators tracked the location of the calls made by the mobile phones used in the murder, as well as the sim card attached to the bomb that was key to its detonation.

Prosecutor Anthony Vella shows how the data confirms the details in Vince Muscat’s testimony, including the time when the bomb was turned on and when it received the detonating message. The jurors are also shown the movement of the mobile phone that sent the fatal SMS, which is seen travelling outside the Marsamxett port and towards Xgħajra.

The jurors are told that when the bomb was turned on, it was “coincidentally” located in a garage belonging to Robert Agius that was also used by Jamie Vella. The prosecution notes that on another occasion when the bomb was turned on, it connected to a cell tower close to the Maksar brothers’ villa in Mosta. 

“You must decide whether these are only coincidences,” Vella tells the jurors.

Evidence confirms Vince Muscat’s testimony

The prosecution is explaining how the testimony of Vince Muscat about the Caruana Galizia murder matches with the evidence gathered. An example of this is a cigarette butt found in one of the vantage points near the victim’s home, which had traces of DNA belonging to Alfred Degiorgio.

Another instance where Muscat’s version of events matches with the evidence is when he described the dimensions of the explosive used in the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia. 

Vella further notes that Caruana Galizia’s son, Matthew confirmed what Vince Muscat said about the victim’s movements the day she was killed.

The sitting continues.

We are heading for a short break. 

The sitting will continue at around 11:00am.

Vince Muscat's and Melvin Theuma's testimonies match

Prosecutor Anthony Vella now turns his attention to the Caruana Galizia murder. He notes that the version of events given by Melvin Theuma and Vince Muscat match, strengthening Muscat’s integrity as a witness.

'I rely on evidence'

The prosecution tells the jurors that the evidence supports Vince Muscat’s version of events. “I’m not the type of person that comes here to scream and try to sell you a version of events that did not happen,” prosecutor Anthony Vella says. “I rely on evidence.”

He explains that investigators, witnesses, and Vince Muscat gave similar descriptions of what happened on the morning of Chircop’s murder. The prosecution is trying to convince the jury that the defence’s attempt to shed doubt on the accused’s involvement doesn’t hold up when faced with concrete hard evidence gathered

Jurors shown photos from Carmel Chircop autopsy

The prosecution is telling the jurors that testimony from Vince Muscat about the Chircop murder was corroborated by CCTV footage and crime scene evidence, adding that the defence’s theories that the accused were not responsible are contradicted.

The jurors are being shown photos of the Chircop murder crime scene. Carmel Chircop’s lifeless body in his garage is among the photos shown on the screen. The prosecution explains the dynamics of how the bullets entered and exited Chircop with the help of photos from his autopsy.

It is explained that the entry and exit points of the bullets indicate that the shots were fired from someone sitting, adding that the shooter was likely seated in a car. 

A quick refresher

The prosecution is refreshing jurors’ memories of yesterday’s proceedings. You can catch up on yesterday’s details here.

Among other details heard yesterday, jurors were told that Vince Muscat, known as 'Il-Koħħu' was desperate to obtain the €1 million award offered by government for information about the Caruana Galizia murder.

We also heard testimony from former minister Chris Cardona, where he spoke of Vince Muscat's allegation that he was involved in the Caruana Galizia murder's commission.

Good morning. 

The jurors, judge, lawyers, and accused are all in their seats as the trial by jury continues this morning.