Sliema double murder trial opens with outburst from accused

Update 2.40pm

The trial by jury of two men accused of murdering Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski in their Sliema home in 2020 got off to a chaotic start on Monday after one of the accused caused a scene in court.

Daniel Muka, 30, repeatedly shouted in the courtroom, objecting to the trial going ahead. He told the court he had only engaged lawyer Mario Mifsud last Thursday and said his lawyer hadn’t had enough time to prepare.

Albanian national Daniel Muka, 30, and Serbian national Viktor Dragomanski, 42 are both facing charges linked to their alleged involvement in the murder of Christian Pandolfino, 58, and Ivor Maciejowski, 30, who were shot dead at their Sliema house in Locker Street on August 18, 2020.

A third man, Jesper Kristiansen, had been charged in connection with the same murder. He pleaded guilty last year.

Daniel Muka (left) being escorted to court in 2020 and Viktor Dragomanski (photo from Facebook)

Muka's outburst led Madam Justice Natasha Galea Sciberras to order that the accused follow proceedings from a separate room. A monitor was set up so he could watch the trial in English, with the court ready to pause if he needed to consult his lawyers. Legal aid lawyer Josette Sultana, who had previously represented him, was also told to stay on and assist.

The trial had already been postponed twice – the latest was in October 2023 when Muka refused to be represented by his legal aid lawyer.

It started on Monday morning with the selection of the jurors who will hear evidence against the two accused as laid out in the lengthy bill of indictment. The bill also lists the charges that the men are accused of.

The family of Ivor Maciejowski outside court on the first day of the trial. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

What charges are they facing?

Muka is facing 10 counts that include the murder of Pandolfino and Maciejowski, theft aggravated by violence that led to the murders, and the illegal possession of the firearm.

He is also facing other minor charges that include the theft of car  - a white Volkswagen Tiguan - used to commit the crime, making use of stolen number plates on the stolen car, theft of the number plates and breaching bail.

Dragomanski is facing three counts that include complicity in carrying out the double murders and in the theft that led to the murders as well as making use of stolen number plates. Both men are pleading not guilty to all the charges brought against them. 

Who is the key witness?

The key witnesses will be the former co-accused Jesper Kristiansen. In February last year, Kristiansen admitted to his involvement and was jailed for 40 years following a plea bargaining agreement.

In February this year he testified against Muka and Dragonmanski during the compilation of evidence – during which evidence is compiled ahead of the trial. In his testimony he said that the planned break-in had gone terribly wrong.

He pinned the murder mainly on Muka saying Muka – who he met a few days earlier -  had first suggested burgling the home where there was “a couple of kilos” of gold.

On the day of the murders he, Muka and Dragomanski used a white car, provided by Muka. They changed the number plates. When they arrived at the Sliema house Muka, who was carrying a man purse, walked first to the door and rang the bell while he stayed a few steps behind. Dragomanski stayed outside near the car. Someone opened and he heard talking.

When the door closed he heard popping sounds, Kristiansen had testified. When he rang the bell, Muka opened with a pistol in his hand.  The men took the jewellery and fled.

Kristiansen said that some days later he saw that Muka was all over the place in the news and then got arrested. Kristiansen left the island and went to Spain from where he was arrested and extradited to Malta to face charges to which he eventually admitted.

Defence lawyers Mario Mifsud and Josette Sultana are representing Muka, and lawyers José Herrera and Alex Scerri Herrera are representing Dragomanski. Lawyers Joe and Michaela Giglio are representing the victims’ families. Attorney General lawyers Maria Francesca Spiteri and Kevin Valletta are prosecuting.