The corpse of New Year’s Day shooting victim Eric Borg has been released for burial, with the funeral due to be held on Saturday.

His sister wrote on Facebook that the funeral will be held at 9am at St Paul’s Basilica in Rabat. She said the family wished those present to wear casual clothes.

The family also asked for donations to Puttinu Cares instead of flowers. A donation box will be placed near the condolences book in church.

Borg, 27, was shot twice on Monday afternoon and died on a pavement at Triq il-Fidloqqom, Rabat. 

Noel Azzopardi, 39 and unemployed, turned himself in at Rabat police station shortly after the shooting. He was arraigned on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to wilful homicide, using a firearm to commit a crime, firing a gun within 200 metres of an urban area and not ensuring that his gun and ammunition were kept in a secure place inside his home.

His lawyers told the court that their client had a history of psychiatric treatment and they requested that Azzopardi's medical records, especially those related to Mount Carmel Hospital, be presented in court.

Azzopardi, who remained standing throughout the arraignment, needed to have questions simplified and repeated to him before providing answers.