Getaway driver in court messenger’s murder says he is in prison ‘for nothing’

Joseph Zammit, the getaway driver who is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence for the murder of Bank of Valletta messenger Alphonse Ferriggi, has today told the court that he is in prison “for nothing”, insisting that his sole job was that of a getaway driver, not an accomplice in the murder.

Zammit who, alongside Richard Grech, was jailed for his part in the murder, was summoned in court today to testify in the compilation of evidence against two other men accused of the murder in San Gwann.

Chris Scerri, known as ‘Buttuni’ or ‘Gazzetti’, and James Vella, known as ‘il-Frejzer’, have pleaded not guilty to the murder of Alphonse Ferriggi in September 18, 2000.

Ferriggi, a BOV bank messenger, was shot at almost point blank range when he was delivering seven bags of internal bank mail, which the accused thought contained money. Ferriggi died on the spot and was found in a pool of blood.

In 2011, jurors found Richard Grech ‘Iz-Zinanna’, 44, of Qormi, guilty of the murder and sentenced him to life in jail. Grech is currently appealing the decision. Joseph Zammit, 52, of Floriana, was also found guilty of being an accomplice in the murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Taking the witness stand, Zammit told court this morning that he was the getaway driver.

Zammit, who during his testimony this morning appeared confused and struggled to remember the sequence of events, told the court that three men had picked him up at his Floriana home, and identified Richard Grech as one of them.

He later identified Chris Scerri and James Vella as being the other two.

“Eight months before the incident, I heard them discussing the crime but told them that I did not want to be part of it. However, they still picked me up, and after arguing with my wife, I left with the men and drove to San Gwann.”

Offering scant details and visibly shaken, Zammit said that his job was to drop Grech, Vella, and Scerri off at a San Gwann valley.

“I got into a red Mazda and drove the men to a valley in San Gwann. They then used another car [which he later identified as being a black Volkswagen]. I was then supposed to wait, but I got fed up waiting and went to Birkirkara. I left the car there and got a lift back home.”

“I did not witness anything. I only saw what happened on TV. I did not know what was going to happen or what they hand in mind. I am in prison for nothing.”

On his part, Inspector Keith Arnaud testified that in the wake of Grech’s trial by jury, police had conduct a review of the evidence, during which they discovered that Grech had told the court that James Vella and Chris Scerri were involved. He had also claimed that Vella was the mastermind behind the failed heist.

Cross-examined by defence lawyer Franco Debono, Arnaud told the court there is no new physical proof, as Grech’s claims were heard during his trial.

“There is no new proof. However, Scerri and Vella were never interrogated by the police about this information. The police analysed the evidence at hand, and after reconfirming the statement with several witnesses, Scerri and Vella were arrested.”

Inspector Arnaud also told the court that several people who lived near the bank had heard the gunshot and had also seen a black car fleeing the scene of the crime.

The car was then discovered abandoned in St Julian’s. The same car was reported stolen the day before and was used in the hold-up.

Moreover, Arnaud said that the police had received confidential information about the accused’s involvement in the crime.

“In 2002, Anthony Frendo, ‘Il-Ballerin’, told police that he knew the crime was committed by four people, and he had previously seen them near a school in Qormi,” Arnaud said.

Frendo, who testified in the trial of Richard Grech, told the court that as soon as he had heard of the murder, he immediately suspected that it was them.

Inspector Arnaud also told the court that the hold-up was the idea of James Vella, and explained that the four men used to go to Vella’s apartment in San Gwann opposite the BOV branch.

The case continues.