The ownership of a van that was allegedly used for an abduction last year and later found near Birżebbuġa remains unknown, a court was told on Thursday.

Christian Borg, Luke John Milton, Thorne Mangion, Burton Azzopardi, Tyson Grech and Jeremy Borg stand accused over their involvement in the abduction and all are pleading not guilty.

During a previous sitting, the court heard how the alleged victim, Carlos Schembri, had spotted two vehicles, a blue Mercedes Sprinter and a white Renault Master, which he identified as those used by his abductors on that January 21 afternoon last year. He was allegedly bundled into the van but escaped when it stopped at a petrol station.

Following his alleged ordeal, Schembri turned up at Paola police station reporting that he had been forced out of his car just outside his panel beater’s garage in Triq it-Tagħbija, Rabat, bundled into a white van and driven to Paola where he was then transferred to another van, the Mercedes Sprinter.

All along the way, his abductors allegedly fired questions about his suspected involvement in vehicle thefts to the detriment of Borg and his company.

The victim claimed he was punched and kicked by his abductors who took his phone and scrolled through its contents, threatening to chop off his finger and rape his sister.

Schembri finally managed to slip away from the van when the gang pulled in at a Fgura service station to refuel.

Some nine months after that alleged ordeal, Schembri spotted two vans in a Birżebbuġa field and alerted his mother who worked nearby, asking her to take photos of the vehicles and later join him at the Paola police station where he intended to report his finding.

That was why on that October 29 morning, an officer from the Paola police station was dispatched to Triq Bengħajsa, Birżebbuġa where he was to keep watch over two vehicles parked inside a field.

One of the vans had a dent on the front passenger side, testified the officer today.

He was also instructed to inform Christian Borg who duly turned up, along with his associate Joseph Camenzuli.

Both men were present while two officers from the Forensic Science Laboratory lifted samples from the vehicles which were then towed away to the police compound at Ta’ Kandja.

The district officer was there between 6am and noon, leaving once the process had been completed and the vans removed.

One of the forensic experts gave an overview of his work that day.

A colleague had photographed the vehicles while he lifted samples for DNA and fingerprint testing purposes.

Seven samples were taken from the Mercedes van along with a Heineken bottle found inside the driver’s door.

Other samples were taken from the Renault vehicle.

Attorney General lawyer Francesco Refalo requested the court to appoint fingerprint and DNA experts to carry out a comparative analysis with samples taken from the accused.

Prosecuting inspector Roderick Attard pointed out that one of the vans was locked and since no key was available at the time of discovery, the vehicle had been sealed and remained so to date.

Magistrate Monica Vella then asked the parties, including the accused and their lawyers, whether anyone knew who the vehicle belonged to.

No one answered.

“To date, ownership is still unknown,” said the AG lawyer.

In another sitting in May a police officer said that Joe Camenzuli (a former Labour Party photographer and an associate of Christian Borg) had arrived on site in Birzebbuġa and said that the vans belonged to him.

In light of such circumstances, the court authorised the same police forensic expert to unlock the van under supervision of Inspector Attard and in the presence of the accused and their lawyers, who were invited to attend while the unlocking process took place.

Once the necessary samples are lifted from the vehicle the court would appoint other experts to carry out the comparative examination requested by the prosecution.

The court also ordered Tyson Grech to be escorted under arrest to the next sitting, observing that not turning up today because he was “caught up at work” was not a valid excuse.

Jeremy Borg was also absent because unwell.

He was ordered to present a medical certificate to justify his absence.

The case continues in July.

Lawyers Giannella de Marco, Stephen Tonna Lowell, Gianluca Caruana Curran, Charles Mercieca, Franco Debono, Francesca Zarb, Stefano Filletti, Michael Sciriha, Roberto Spiteri and Jason Grima are variously assisting the accused. Lawyer Shaun Zammit appeared parte civile.