Owen Bonnici took a photo with money laundering suspect and Paceville impresario Lilu King without knowing it, he said on Saturday. 

The minister took to his Facebook page to make it known that he had agreed to pose for a photo with a stranger who later identified himself as Lilu King.

Lilu King, whose full name is Mohamed Ali Ahmed Elmushraty, is currently out on bail as he pleads not guilty to involvement in an organised group linked to drug trafficking and money laundering.

A known figure within Paceville’s entertainment circles, he also has a significant following on Instagram, where he spent years posting photos of his extravagant lifestyle.

Bonnici did not recognise Lilu King when their paths crossed on Friday, however.  

The Culture Minister and former Justice Minister took to Facebook on Saturday to say he had inadvertently been photographed with the man.

“Yesterday evening, as I was walking to my car, a white car stopped suddenly and a tall man politely asked me if I would take a photo with him,” Bonnici wrote.

“I don’t know this man, did not recognise him and had never spoken to him. We took a photo, as I regularly do with various people.

“After we took the photo, he told me, in Maltese but with a foreign accent, that he is known as Lilu King and that he is facing various proceedings in court. I am clarifying the facts that led to this photo,” Bonnici said.

Lilu King wasted no time in making the encounter known. In an Instagram story he published at around 8pm on Friday, he and Bonnici can be seen smiling at camera. Lilu King chose the Robert Miles track ‘Children’ to accompany the short video clip.