Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, known as 'Lilu King', who is at the centre of an organised crime investigation, drove five expensive cars, spent €5,000 a month on his extravagant lifestyle but had no registered job and was practically “a ghost” to the Maltese authorities, a court heard on Monday. 

Elmushraty was arraigned 10 days ago following an intensive three-month-long police investigation by a task force set up in February to find out about a suspected organised crime group involving a drug trafficking ring, made up of Maltese and foreign suspects. 

For weeks on end, police monitored his movements between his apartment at Portomaso Avenue and several venues in the area, including a gym where  Elmushraty regularly spent an hour or more. 

Libyan national Elmushraty is a boxer who flaunted his riches regularly on his social media pages. 

Driving four luxurious Mercedes models, a BMW and a Range Rover, he would travel between his Portomaso residence to another flat at St Paul’s Bay, with regular visits to a Paceville lounge and a bar in the same entertainment hub. 

An officer from the homicide squad, tasked to monitor  Elmushraty's movements, gave a detailed account of his findings when testifying on Monday as the compilation of evidence kicked off.

On one occasion police watched as a third party approached the accused’s car at St Julian’s where a “pouch” was handed to that third party.

Another evening,  Elmushraty parked his Mercedes outside a Paceville nightclub. 

A third party arrived on a motorbike, went inside the club then came back out just as the Mercedes’s hazard lights flashed.

The man opened the Mercedes, retrieved a packet from the front passenger side, tucked it inside his jacket, closed the vehicle and rode off.

The motorcyclist later handed “something” to another person, identified in court as “Alpha 3” outside a property in the north of the island. 

The two then parted ways. 

Envelopes exchanged and then a car crash

Another time, a third party signaled briefly to Elmushraty inside a coffee shop. 

The two later drove behind each other all the way to San Ġwann where they stopped for a brief chat.

The other unidentified person then handed an envelope to Elmushraty. 

Police surveillance placed the accused in the presence of three known drug traffickers, said prosecuting Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca who explained that investigations were still ongoing. 

On one occasion, the surveillance officer observed a curious episode. 

Elmushraty was driving one of his Mercedes models when he was involved in a collision with an eCabs vehicle. 

He did not get out of his car. 

Then one of his alleged associates arrived on a motorbike, getting into the Mercedes as Elmushraty stepped out, apparently taking responsibility for the accident. 

And all that happened before the traffic warden could even jot down the drivers’ versions, explained the police witness who had seen the episode unfolding before his eyes. 

As investigations extended beyond Lilu’s lifestyle, police observed his connections to a number of persons. 

The police monitored the comings and goings of third parties at a particular St Julian’s apartment.

Police watched as a man entered the block empty-handed and left with a bag, or went inside with one bag and exited with a different bag.

Those movements had triggered suspicions that Elmushraty, who would also meet those persons staying at the St Julian’s flat, was also involved in drug dealing.

However, that suspicion was forcefully challenged by defence lawyer Franco Debono who argued that the prosecution was “straining” to link the accused to drugs and that such observations by the witness were simply “conjectures.”

In breach of two bail decrees 

On another occasion, police watched from the viewing gallery at the Malta International Airport as Elmushraty stepped off a flight from Bari with his Maltese girlfriend, evidently in breach of two bail decrees which prohibited him leaving the country. 

The couple then waited on the rainy May day outside the airport for some 50 minutes until someone called for them in the accused’s Mercedes G Wagon and drove them to Żebbug, then on to his flat at Portomaso. 

Under questioning,  Elmushraty, who was granted refugee status in Malta. told police that he was involved in a family car business and real estate business in Libya. 

He imported cars from the Netherlands and exported them to Libya and Malta. 

Asked about his trip to the Netherlands in May,  Elmushraty claimed he had booked tickets when drunk but had actually never gone abroad. 

Police surveillance however appeared to disprove his claims since he was seen checking in at the airport with his girlfriend. 

While living a life of luxury, he had no registered job although he had obtained a work permit that expired in 2022. 

There was no property registered in his name and he had no VAT number but he was involved in a shisha business and was involved in a restaurant, registered in the name of his associate with whom he shared 50%. 

A financial investigation by the Financial Crimes Department showed that Lilu was “a ghost,” said prosecuting Inspector Mark Anthony Mercieca.

That statement was subsequently confirmed by a number of witnesses from the VAT and housing department as well as from JobsPlus and Transport Malta. 

The accused wore branded clothing, went shopping at upmarket shops selling designer clothes and paid in cash, uploading snapshots of his extravagant lifestyle on social media. 

He later told police that he spent €5000 monthly to support his lifestyle which included the use of four Mercedes models, a BMW and a Range Rover, none of which were registered in his name.

He neither ever had a Maltese driving licence.

He had transferred one of the Mercedes to a dealer, while the Range Rover was undergoing repairs at another dealer. 

When faced with photos from his own Instagram account,  Elmushraty said that an image showing him with a considerable amount of cash, was “photoshopped.”

A weapon that featured in another photo was fake, Lilu claimed and insisted that a thick gold chain seen in another photo was worth €300. 

The accused also flaunted his cash.

He would pay for a coffee with a €50 note and fish out another €50 note for a second coffee, the court was told. 

On May 24, when arrested while leaving St Julian’s police station where he had been to sign the bail book, police found jewellery and cash in his possession.

But no drugs were found in his possession or in the apartments where he lived.

Asked by Franco Debono whether there were any drug offences on his criminal record, the inspector said there was none. Nor was he facing any drug-related cases in Malta or abroad. 

And no drug charges featured in his charge sheet. 

Investigations also revealed no links to prostitution. 

The court, presided over by Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, ordered a ban on all witnesses’ names as well as names of outlets mentioned in today’s testimonies, in view of ongoing police investigations. 

The case continues.

Inspectors Alfredo Mangion and Tonjoe Farrugia also prosecuted assisted by AG lawyers Antoine Agius Bonnici and Dejan Darmanin. Lawyers Marion Camilleri and Francesca Zarb were also defence counsel.