The prosecution of a criminal case linked to the Electrogas power station project said on Wednesday it had no more evidence in the case against former chief of staff Keith Schembri, former minister Konrad Mizzi and businessman Yorgen Fenech.

They are among seven individuals and four companies charged with a raft of serious criminal charges linked to the Electrogas power station.

On Wednesday Magistrate Rachel Montebello heard the prosecution declare it had no more evidence to produce.

At this stage, the magistrate usually decides whether there is enough prima facie evidence for the accused to face trial.

However, Fenech's defence asked for a court expert representing Harbinson Forensic Limited to be heard before that stage. 

The magistrate turned down the request noting that there was nothing stopping the experts from testifying at a later stage without prejudicing the case. 

The testimony of UK-based forensic accountant Jeremy Harbinson has been also requested by the defence of those charged with their alleged involvement in a fraudulent concession to privatise three hospitals.

Harbinson has informed the court that he is refusing to return to Malta to testify because he fears for his safety.

On Wednesday defence lawyers asked Magistrate Montebello for more time to make their submissions on the prime facie decision.

She put off the case for the legal submissions to February 27.

In total, prosecutors filed the charges against seven individuals and four companies linked to the controversial project, of which Fenech is a shareholder.

Schembri, Mizzi, and Fenech are charged together with Electrogas shareholder Paul Apap Bologna; Mario Pullicino - the local agent for the floating storage tanker fuelling the Delimara-based power station, and Brian Tonna and Karl Cini - the accountants who are alleged to have planned the money transfers involved.

Tonna was on a key committee that selected the Electrogas bid as the winner of the lucrative power station public contract.

Four companies were also charged: Nexia BT, the accountancy firm that Tonna and Cini led; BTI Management Limited, which is owned by Tonna; New Energy Supply Limited, a Fenech-owned firm; and OEGP Limited, owned by Pullicino.

Under Maltese law, companies can be held criminally liable if a company director, secretary or top manager commits an offence for the benefit of the company.

Times of Malta first revealed that prosecutors would be pressing charges against those involved following the conclusion of a years-long magisterial inquiry into allegations surrounding 17 Black.

Defendants stand accused of corruption, trading in influence and criminal association. Mizzi was also charged with perjury.

They all entered not-guilty pleas.  In a previous sitting, the magistrate approved a request to freeze the assets of the accused, with freeze orders ranging from roughly €200,000 to €18 million.

Leaked documents indicated Fenech intended to use his offshore company to funnel millions of euros to Schembri and Mizzi, via secretive offshore structures in Panama.

At the time, Fenech was leading the Electrogas consortium that won a €450 million deal to build and operate a gas-fired power station in Delimara.

Mizzi was Energy Minister and Schembri was the chief of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister.

Apap Bologna and Pullicino also had secret offshore structures similar to 17 Black.

Schembri and Mizzi's offshore structures were first revealed by Daphne Caruana Galizia and exposed through the Panama Papers data leak of 2016.

Fenech was revealed to be the owner of 17 Black in 2018 following a joint investigation by Times of Malta and Reuters.

Caruana Galizia had reported extensively on the Electrogas deal and the secret offshore companies linked to it. She was murdered in 2017.   

Lawyers Gianella De Marco and Kathleen Grima represented Apap Bologna.

Charles Mercieca and Gianluca Caruana Curran represented Fenech.

Edward Gatt and Shaun Zammit appeared for Schembri and Mizzi.

Stephen Tonna Lowell was defence counsel to Cini, Tonna and Pullicino.

Attorney General lawyers Gary Cauchi and Nicole Sladden prosecuted.