Updated 9pm
A man facing money laundering charges who flaunted his lavish lifestyle on social media is wanted in Libya to face murder charges, a court heard on Monday.
Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, known on social media as ‘Lilu King’, is wanted by law enforcement in Tripoli in connection with a raft of crimes ranging from murder to drug trafficking, a police officer who serves as an Interpol liaison testified.
A police inspector from the force’s Interpol section said that authorities in Tripoli had contacted Malta’s police to flag the wanted status of an individual.
His name, passport number, Tunisian birthplace and date of birth, photographs and father’s name all matched those of Elmushraty.
Libyan authorities have asked Malta to detain Elmushraty and have him extradited to Libya to face charges there, the witness explained.
Despite his allegedly shady past, Elmushraty was in Malta as a refugee, having been granted that status in 2015. He had that status withdrawn last month.
Elmushraty was arrested during a drug raid in St Julian’s in May along with two others. Police subsequently charged him with money laundering, tax evasion and participating in organised crime.
Questions raised about Libya's reliability
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Franco Debono questioned the reliability of Libyan institutions, given the civil war in the country. The witness said that the official documents had been issued by Interpol Tripoli, which was on an equal footing as Interpol Floriana.
Asked whether he knew about the accused’s refugee status in Malta, the witness replied in the negative, adding that such information fell outside his remit.
“He escaped from Libya because he was persecuted and the state granted him refugee status,” stressed Debono, asking whether the Tripoli authorities had sent “at least one sheet of supporting evidence.”
Prosecuting Inspector Tonjoe Farrugia gave a detailed account of the operation conducted by the drug squad over suspicions that Elmushraty was linked to importation and trafficking of drugs, as well as money laundering.
Shoes, iPhones and jewellery
Investigations peaked on May 24, when Elmushraty was arrested and his residences at Portomaso and Qawra searched, yielding an impressive list of branded items and valuables, but no drugs.
Three Apple iPhones, 11 SIM cards, 27 bags of branded clothing, 111 pairs of original brand shoes and a considerable amount of jewellery including 15 rings, chains, cuff links and belts were seized from the Portomaso flat.
Photo:@mohammedlilu/InstagramElmushraty claimed that he lived in that apartment which belonged to a friend of his who worked abroad and he paid no rent.
More valuables were found in the Qawra apartment he rented at €1300 per month.
'Lilu King' claimed his family sent him money
Later, he told police that all the luxurious vehicles he drove did not belong to him, adding that it was normal to borrow cars.
He had no bank accounts in Malta and claimed no social benefits, saying that he received monies from abroad.
He used to receive funds through Western Union but when Libya stopped that service, he began to get money via the Hawala system.
Money was delivered to him by unknown third parties against presentation and verification of his passport, Elmushraty explained, adding that he did not know what arrangements were made by his family when sending him money via that system.
Hawala – a popular money transfer system within the Arab world which uses a network of individuals across the world to transfer money without moving it - was a mechanism conducive to tax evasion and facilitated money laundering, added Farrugia.
Lilu King’s hobbies were boxing and going to the gym.
He told police that he got sponsorships for those hobbies and thus had free access to gym facilities.
Asked about his luxurious lifestyle and the fact that his name did not feature anywhere for tax purposes, Elmushraty insisted that he declared nothing because whenever he tried to regularize his position, “he found all doors closed.”
Defence questions prosecution's drug links
Yet his lawyer questioned whether Elmushraty’s business partner in a local restaurant venture had ever told tax authorities about the accused’s involvement in the business.
Any tax audit would have recorded his 50% share in the business, argued Debono.
“Had tax authorities ever sent for Elmushraty?”asked the lawyer.
“They would have informed me had they done so.”
Given that the money laundering charge was pinned upon the alleged offence of drug trafficking, Debono asked the inevitable question.
“On oath, from all the investigation by all the inspectors involved, can you say that you had nothing on which to issue drug-related charges?”
“No,” replied the witness.
A strongly debated issue was the fact that the prosecution had only summoned two civilian witnesses over three sittings.
The defence stressed the fact that upon arraignment, the court had “solicited” the prosecution to produce civilians as soon as possible.
However, Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech, presiding over the compilation of evidence clarified that the court cannot interfere in the manner whereby the prosecution conducts its case.
The court, however, did observe that after three sittings, it was still awaiting evidence about the crime allegedly giving rise to the illicit funds that the accused is charged with laundering.
Tens of thousands owed on Range Rover
Following a lengthy debate, the magistrate ordered the prosecution to summon a car dealer cited by the prosecution as a witness.
Prosecutors say Elmushraty bought a high-end Range Rover off the dealer, using a third party as an interlocutor.
Within the hour, a man in casual clothes turned up at the hearing, apologising for his attire.
The man said he never met Elmushraty and said that he received cash payments from a third party every month.
When money laundering regulations were introduced, the dealer insisted on receiving money via bank transfer. At that point, payments stopped, he said. The dealer said he was still owed around €48,000 out of the total price of €100,000 or so. He had not been paid since March 2021.
The case continues on Tuesday.
Inspectors Mark Anthony Merciec and Alfredo Mangion prosecuted assisted by AG lawyers Antoine Agius Bonnici and Dejan Darmanin.
Lawyers Marion Camilleri and Francesca Zarb were also defence counsel.