A third man has been charged with the murder in Paceville of a suspected member of a Romanian organised crime group.

Joseff Rivas, 44, was stabbed several times in Ross Street at around 3.30pm on December 5 and died later in hospital. He had Romanian and British citizenship. 

Ilie Constantin was arraigned in court on Monday before magistrate Yana Micallef Stafrace. The 31-year-old denied the charges, which include murder, possession of a weapon during the commission of a crime, carrying a knife in public without a licence and living off the proceeds of prostitution. 

The 31-year-old from Bucharest, Romania had been admitted to hospital after the murder and was seen limping in court, where he was accompanied by his sister and other relatives.

His case was delayed for some time due to problems with finding an interpreter, which sparked some concern in court that the 48-hour arraignment time window from Constantin's arrest could lapse.

Two brothers - Ionut Iulian Tanase, 35, and Dan-Andrei Tanase, 32 - have already been charged with murder and with living off the proceeds of prostitution. They are also Romanian. 

Police told the previous court sitting that a fight had broken out between the group as a result of an argument related to organised crime involving prostitution. 

Inspector Kurt Zahra said CCTV showed three men in a cafe on the street when they were approached by another three men. The footage showed a "few seconds" of communication followed by commotion involving the victim.

Times of Malta previously reported that Rivas was a suspected member of a Romanian organised crime group identified as a 'High-Value Target' by international intelligence services. 

Police attend to the murder victim, who lies on the ground following the attack.

The defence team is made up of lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, Arthur Azzopardi, Jacob Magri and Charmaine Cherret.

No request for bail was made during Monday's sitting. The defence asked for an interpreter to go with the accused to prison and for his medical file to be exhibited in court. 

Inspectors Kurt Zahra and Brian Xuereb are prosecuting, assisted by lawyers Darlene Grima and Kaylie Bonnett from the Office of the Attorney General.