Former police commissioner testifies in Mdina stabbing trial

Meinrad Calleja had asked two men to kill Richard Cachia Caruana and he accompanied them to Mdina to show them where Cachia Caruana lived, but they had declined to commit the crime. Neither of them had wanted to testify, former police commissioner George Grech told the court yesterday.

Mr Grech was testifying in the trial by jury of Meinrad Calleja, who is pleading not guilty to complicity in the attempted murder of Richard Cachia Caruana, personal assistant to the prime minister, on December 18, 1994.

Mr Grech said he had learnt that the two men had tried to drive through St Roque Street, where Mr Cachia Caruana lived, but their car had got stuck in the narrow road.

He said that during investigations a pattern emerged and investigators could also string together several arson attempts that took place at around the same time of Mr Cachia Caruana's stabbing in December 1994 as well as anonymous letters sent to a journalist.

All of these appeared to be retribution after Brigadier Maurice Calleja's resignation from the AFM a year earlier, Mr Grech said. Brig Calleja is Meinrad Calleja's father.

Three days after the stabbing, the door of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia's house at Bidnija was set on fire. She had suspected Meinrad Calleja was behind it because of an article she had written about the resignation of his father a year before.

The door of car importer Maurice Mizzi was also set alight a few days previously and as Mr Mizzi and Mrs Caruana Galizia were neighbours and their houses had similar names, the police suspected that the arson at Mr Mizzi's house was a mistake.

Mr Grech said after the stabbing, he had discussed the case with the prime minister and his attention was drawn to another arson at the residence of Adrian Strickland at Zejtun in early December.

Mr Grech said the prime minister had informed him that Mr Strickland's wife was the daughter of former Brigadier George Micallef who had been asked by the government to approach Brigadier Calleja, to persuade him to resign after some incidents had taken place.

Mr Grech said he was informed that Mr Cachia Caruana was a friend of the Strickland family and often visited them.

The former commissioner said he started focusing more on these incidents as he felt they could be related to the motive of the stabbing.

After learning that the accused had accompanied two men to Mdina and asked them to kill Mr Cachia Caruana, Mr Grech said he got to know that Mr Calleja had then commissioned Joseph Fenech, known as Zeppi l-hafi.

Mr Fenech was interrogated by the police and placed in identification parades and Mr Cachia Caruana insisted Mr Fenech could not have been on the scene as he would have recognised him. Neither did Mr Cachia Caruana's neighbour, Nicholas Jensen, identify Mr Fenech.

Mr Grech explained how he was informed of the stabbing and how he went to the scene and later to hospital, where he briefly spoke to Mr Cachia Caruana.

Mr Grech said the victim told him that two men had attacked him and the one who was unshaven and had long unkempt hair had stabbed him. Both fled when Mr Cachia Caruana started shouting and Mr Jensen approached the scene.

Mr Grech said Mr Cachia Caruana told him that neither of the two men were hooded. The former commissioner said he spoke to Mr Jensen and with his help and that of others drew up an identikit and made several identification parades but no one was identified.

"After Mr Cachia Caruana was discharged from hospital, I again asked him whether he could have been stabbed by il-hafi but he assured me that had it been Mr Fenech, he would have recognised him," Mr Grech said.

Mr Grech continued that in mid-1995, then PBS chairman Tony Mallia gave him an envelope with a letter and some photos. These had been passed on to him by journalist Joe Mifsud, who had recognised that the handwriting on the envelope was that of Calleja, with whom he had worked in some organisation.

Mr Grech said he too had received a letter with his name on the envelope and addressed to the attorney general. Both the letter to Mr Mallia a well as another one later sent to the police commissioner had details about a bank account Mr Mallia had in the UK and details about an eye specialist.

As the police had in its possession some diaries belonging to Mr Calleja, Mr Grech passed the letters and diaries on to forensics expert Dr Anthony Abela Medici to check whether the handwriting was the same. The latter subsequently returned them and informed him that the handwriting was that of Meinrad Calleja. These documents were then passed on to the inquiring magistrate.

Mr Grech said Mr Mallia had told him that in 1996 he had written a strong article about Calleja in a local paper.

Mr Grech said he had also spoken to the son of former minister Lawrence Gatt, Etienne, who had told him that Meinrad Calleja had asked him who he felt was behind his father's resignation and both had agreed that Mr Cachia Caruana was the driving force behind it.

Mr Grech said he had made efforts to get Mr Gatt to testify both through his family as well as through Interpol but had failed to trace him.

Mr Grech said the prime minister subsequently informed him that he had various contacts with Zeppi l-hafi, who had divulged to him who Mr Cachia Caruana's assailants were. Following this, both Charlie Attard, known as iz-Zambi, and Ian Farrugia were arrested.

Fingerprints were taken and Farrugia denied his involvement even though told about the palm print. Both then admitted and Attard had wanted to speak to the prime minister and later made a sworn statement before the inquiring magistrate.

Farrugia had also drawn a sketch of where they were at Mdina on the night of the stabbing but did not want to release a statement before the magistrate. Criminal action was taken against both and Attard was found guilty while Farrugia was acquitted.

Attard in his statement has said he was alone with Farrugia when the stabbing took place and that Fenech had taken them to the scene and told them they had to kill an Italian.

Mr Grech said as far as he could remember, in identification parades, Mr Cachia Caruana had probably identified Attard while Mr Jensen had singled Attard out. Fenech had formed part of the line-up of the ID parades but was not identified by Mr Jensen. The only time Mr Jensen identified Mr Fenech was in the trial of Ian Farrugia.

Joseph Fenech was again interrogated and informed that he had to tell the whole truth because he was being given a pardon.

When Meinrad Calleja was interrogated he had denied what Etienne Gatt had said and kept denying his involvement in the stabbing, even when confronted with Mr Fenech.

Under cross-examination, Mr Grech said Ms Caruana Galizia had insisted that her only suspicion was in Meinrad Calleja.

The defence said Ms Caruana Galizia had written scathing articles about various issues and the accused was not charged with any arson.

Mr Grech said he had not spoken to Brig. Calleja or to Brig. Micallef to see what they had said to each other. Neither had he investigated what sort of business Mr Strickland was involved in at the time.

Mr Grech said he relied on what he was told by the prime minister and looked at the incidents and other information he had to draw his conclusions.

All the incidents had taken place in the anniversary of Brig. Calleja's resignation and it was becoming clear that whoever had anything to do with the resignation or with the accused was being paid back, Mr Grech said.

The trial continues this morning.

Deputy Attorney General Dr Silvio Camilleri and Senior Counsel to the Republic Dr Donatella Frendo Dimech are prosecuting.

Dr Manwel Mallia and Dr Ramona Frendo are appearing for Calleja.

Dr Tonio Azzopardi is appearing for Mr Cachia Caruana.