Updated at 5.00 pm with Foreign Affairs Ministry statement

Marzia Maatouk, the 24-year-old fugitive who was found dead in Libya six months ago, died suffocated, according to her family.

Her brother, Marvin Zammit, and her cousin, David Sghendo, told Times of Malta they learnt about the cause of her death last week, during a harrowing five-day trip to Tripoli and Gharyan, during which they made arrangements to bring her body back to Malta.

The men said the Libyan authorities informed them of the cause of her death at a Gharyan court, when they showed them distressing images of the day she was found dead last May.

It remains unclear, however, whether she took her own life or was suffocated to death by someone. Maatouk’s body was repatriated to Malta last week, six months after she was found dead.

She disappeared with her husband, Jomic Calleja Maatouk in August last year, after he was sentenced to prison for drug-related crimes. They had been missing for months and were both on Europol’s most wanted list before they were tracked down in Libya.

She was found dead and her husband, who was described by a magistrate as a “lethal weapon”, was arrested.

Initially, the family were told she likely died by suicide but were then informed the body was being kept in Libya for investigations into possible foul play.

Harrowing trip

Speaking upon their return from Libya last week, Zammit and Sghendo shared the details of the journey, which was fraught with challenges, including the distressing task of identifying her body twice.

“The Libyan authorities told us no one representing the Maltese authorities had gone to claim her body,” Sghendo said.

“You can never be prepared enough for what you’re about to see. The whole journey was a series of heavy surprises.”

The men were asked to identify the body the first time at the hospital in Gharyan and another time before the coffin was sealed for the flight to Malta.

What frustrates the family the most is that they have not yet been able to organise her funeral and have no indication when that can take place.

The family hoped to hold a funeral upon their return to Malta last weekend but their plans were once again disrupted when the police asked to initiate a magisterial inquiry, necessitating another autopsy.

The family say there was no need for this, as the autopsy will not shed light on whether it was suicide or murder but will only confirm what they already know – that she died suffocated – and that the autopsy is another needless, painful delay in achieving closure.

When the corpse arrived in Malta, the authorities told them that they would take a DNA test to identify the body but the family felt this was unneccessary as they had already confirmed it was her.

Marzia with her brother Marvin Zammit. Family photo

They had already made arrangements for the funeral to be held last Saturday but had to postpone it, saying they are still waiting for the authorities to inform them when the body will be released and authorised for burial.

“After many hassles and struggles, we managed to bring her back, only for them to steal her away from us again,” Sghendo said.

“We were in the dark for six months, not knowing what was going on, and now that we got her back, we’re in the dark again.”

His mother, Silvana, who is also Marzia’s aunt, said: “If we had known there would be a magisterial inquiry, we wouldn’t have made all the funeral arrangements.”

Times of Malta sent questions to the police to understand why it was necessary for another autopsy to be held in Malta, given that an investigation was already carried out in Libya.

“Through an appointed magisterial inquiry, we are investigating the cause and circumstances surrounding Maatouk’s death. Her body will be released once all examinations are deemed complete,” they said.

It remains unclear whether Libyan investigators found evidence of foul play. In the meantime, her husband remains detained in Libya.

‘Progress seemed stalled for months’

When her repatriation to Malta was announced last week, the Maltese government said it was the end of a months-long process of discussions between the Maltese and Libyan authorities and diplomats but the family claim they received little to no assistance throughout the process. The progress of repatriation arrangements seemed stalled for months despite exchanging correspondence with the authorities on a weekly basis. It was only when the family insisted to go to Libya that things started moving, they said.

“The Maltese authorities discouraged us from going to Libya for safety reasons,” Sghendo said. “But when we arrived in Libya, we were told our presence there was necessary to claim her body for repatriation.”

Foreign Affairs Ministry's response 

In its reply to questions, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said Libyan authorities only released the body after they concluded their investigations on November 17 and that within 11 days the Maltese authorities made all the necessary arrangements and the body was repatriated. 

The Ministry also provided a detailed timeline of its correspondence with the Libyan authorities, starting on May 30, when it asked Libya to kick off the repatriation process, all through November 28, when the body arrived in Malta.

It said Foreign Minister Ian Borg even discussed the issue with the Libyan Foreign Minister during the UN General Assembly in New York in September.