Maksar case: Carmel Chircop received judicial letter on eve of his murder

Updated 6pm

A legal procurator on Wednesday testified that murdered lawyer Carmel Chircop was served a judicial letter on the eve of his 2015 murder.

Josette Attard told the court that the letter was served on him by Beacon Light Limited.

The witness was summoned to testify by defence lawyer Nicholas Mifsud, who is assisting Adrian Agius.

Agius is one of four men facing charges in connection to two murders.

Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are accused of providing the bomb used to assassinate Daphne Caruana Galizia in October 2017.  George Degiorgio (and his brother Alfred) are already serving a 40-year sentence after admitting to placing the bomb under Caruana Galizia’s car and triggering it outside her Bidnija home. 

Adrian Agius is accused of commissioning the October 2015 hit on lawyer Carmel Chircop, which prosecutors allege was carried out with the complicity of his brother Robert, along with Jamie Vella and Degiorgio.

They all deny any wrongdoing.

In her testimony, Attard focused on various judicial letters she was involved with on Chircop’s behalf.

In one case, a letter dated June 2014 was filed on Chircop’s behalf after a cheque issued by directors of the now-defunct More Supermarkets to Chircop as repayment of a cheque that bounced.

The letter was served on EROM Limited, Cassar and Schembri Limited, Ryan Schembri and his wife, Etienne Cassar and his wife, as well as Adrian Agius.

Asked by Madam Justice Edwina Grima if there was a reply, the witness said she could not recall.

In another, the witness confirmed that Chircop had sent another judicial letter to those directors, Ryan Schembri and Etienne Cassar, in September 2015. That letter concerned a €600,000 debt owed to Chircop. That letter was served on Cassar, while Schembri had absconded by then, she recalled.

EROM Limited, Cassar and Schembri Limited and Adrian Agius were not cited in that second letter.

In her testimony, the witness recalled that one day before he was murdered, Chircop insisted on her checking the court registry to see if any judicial letters were filed against him. She eventually got hold of the document, which was filed by Beacon Light Limited.

Chircop was in business with the owner of that company.

Attard recalled that she was very busy on the day.

“I told him ‘you drove me crazy’ [ġenninti],” Attard recalled, adding that he invited her for coffee but she declined since she had to appear before the Small Claims Tribunal.

Agius’ defence lawyer declared that he had no more witnesses to bring forward in his client’s case after Attard stepped off.

Superintendent testifies

Superintendent Sandra Zammit was summoned up next by lawyer Noel Bianco, appearing for George Degiorgio.

The lawyer asked the witness at what time she reported to the murder scene. Zammit, who at the time of Chircop’s murder was stationed at Birkirkara Police Station, said it was some time between 7am and 7:45am.

Zammit recalled seeing Chircop’s sister at the scene of the crime. She was not allowed in.

The witness was then shown CCTV footage collected from Triq John Borg in Birkirkara, the street where the garage complex in which the murder occurred is located.

She was asked whether she had taken down the details of a driver seen driving a Renault vehicle in CCTV footage. The witness said that she did not, and that she focused on the suspicious car seen leaving the building.

Bianco then declared that he had no more witnesses for Degiorgio.

The next witness was the head of the media relations unit within the Police Force, Brandon Pisani.

Pisani presented a copy of the press conference addressed by Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà on February 24, 2021. The video was played out in court.

Vella's lawyer: Arnaud used to 'fill the blanks'

Earlier on Wednesday,  Jamie Vella’s defence lawyer Ishmael Psaila questioned the prosecutor’s choice to leave assistant commissioner Keith Arnaud’s testimony last before resting its case, and claimed that they did so to ensure so that Arnaud “fills in the blanks”.

On Vella’s alleged role in Chircop’s murder, Psaila stressed that the lawyer did not loan any money to Adrian Agius, Ryan Schembri or Etienne Cassar from More Supermarket, but had entered into the agreements so that profit made from selling a warehouse in Qormi appeared as a loan.

Chircop had entered into a promise of sale agreement with two brothers surnamed Bonnici to buy the warehouse. More Supermarket was looking for a warehouse at the time, and through two real estate agents, was put in touch with Chircop. The warehouse was valued at €2.3 million and Chircop was due to make a €700,000 profit on top of that sale price. 

Instead of assigning his rights on the promise of sale agreement, the lawyer signed a constitution of debt and two bills of exchange worth €600,000, which, according to Agius’ replies in his 2015 interrogation, was done to avoid paying taxes. Agius had placed his Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq villa as collateral in the deal.

“On one hand, Chircop had two bills of exchange and on the other, Agius guaranteed with his property. Ryan abdicated, Cassar had no money, so who would Chircop chase? He had every right at law to do so... What was Adrian’s motive to commission the murder?” Psaila asked, adding that Agius paid €165,000 in an out-of-court settlement.

Psaila reiterated that there was no evidence his client was involved in the murder, and that he ended up as an accused in the case “simply because Vince Muscat named him”.

Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, is the prosecution's star witness in the case against the four defendants. 

The trial continues on Thursday.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima presided.

Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella prosecuted.

Lawyers Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin are appearing for Robert Agius, while lawyer Nicholas Mifsud is assisting Agius’ brother, Adrian.

Lawyers Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri are appearing for George Degiorgio.

Lawyers Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia are assisting Jamie Vella.

Lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while lawyer Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.