An associate of alleged kidnapper Christian Borg and former Labour Party photographer, Joe Camenzuli, had declared he owned two vans which an abduction victim claimed he was bundled in, a court heard on Monday.

The victim, Carlos Schembri, had spotted the two vans abandoned in a field in Birżebbuġa about nine months after the abduction.

Schembri, a panel beater was allegedly abducted outside his Rabat garage in January last year.

Ruth Schembri, his mother, took the witness stand on Monday morning in the compilation of evidence against her son’s former employer Christian Borg who, together with five associates, stands accused of involvement in the alleged abduction.

On January 21, 2022, Borg together with Thorne Mangion, Tyson Grech, Jeremy Borg, Burton Azzopardi and Luke John Milton, allegedly turned up outside the panel beater’s garage on Triq it-Tagħbija, Rabat.

The gang of six bundled Carlos Schembri into a white Renault van and drove towards Paola where they transferred him to a blue Mercedes Sprinter van, interrogating him all along the way over his suspected involvement in vehicle thefts.

Schembri later told police how he was punched by his abductors who took his phone, threatened to chop off his finger and rape his sister.

He finally managed to slip away when the gang stopped for fuel at a Fgura petrol station.

All six accused are pleading not guilty.

Ruth Schembri recalled how on October 28, last year, her son had called at her workplace in Ħal Far asking her to check out two vehicles he had spotted in a field at Birżebbuġa.

“I believe those were the vans I was put in,” Carlos had told her, referring to the January kidnapping.

The witness went to the Bengħajsa field where she saw the two vans. There was also a boat in the field.

She photographed and filmed the vehicles and sent the footage to her son who confirmed, “yes, they’re the ones.”

His mother told him to wait for her at Paola so that they would file a police report together.

Police then accompanied the alleged victim to the field where he pointed out the two vans, both without number plates.

The blue Sprinter model had a dent on the passenger side. It was unlocked and it was checked by a forensic team.

The white van was locked and was therefore sealed and still is to date.

Prosecuting inspector Roderick Attard presented photographs of the vehicles which were towed to the police compound.

Another police officer who accompanied Schembri to the field that day was asked whether they had checked the ownership of the field.

Former PL photographer said the vans belonged to him

The officer said that Joe Camenzuli (a former Labour Party photographer and an associate of Christian Borg) had arrived on site and said that the vans belonged to him.

He had also told police that he got the field “from someone he knew”.

Defence lawyer Stephen Tonna Lowell asked the witness whether the alleged victim had told police what he was doing in that field that day.

“He [Schembri] said that he happened to be going by that day and just spotted the vans.”

The case continues.

AG lawyer Francesco Refalo also prosecuted.

Lawyers Franco Debono, Francesca Zarb, Michael Sciriha and Jason Grima were also defence counsel.

Lawyer Shaun Zammit appeared parte civile.