Two brothers were on Wednesday charged with murdering Joseff Rivas in Paceville on Monday.

Rivas, 44, died at Mater Dei Hospital soon after the attack. He held both Romanian and UK citizenship.

Romanians Ionut Iulian Tanase, 35, and Dan-Andrei Tanase, 32, pleaded not guilty to the murder, being in possession of a weapon, carrying a knife in public without a licence and breaching the peace. They also pleaded not guilty to living off the proceeds of prostitution.

A third man is in hospital and is expected to face similar charges on Thursday.

Murder 'linked to prostitution'

Wednesday's late-evening court sitting, presided over by magistrate Ian Farrugia, heard that the fight was the result of an argument relating to organised crime involving prostitution. 

Police inspector Kurt Zahra said police received a report of the stabbing in Paceville on Monday afternoon and, at the time of the call, the victim was still alive. 

He said that after a while the police were informed that the victim had died. 

Zahra said CCTV footage showed that three men were at a cafe in Ross Street when they were approached by another three men.

The footage shows a "few seconds" of communication, followed by a commotion involving the victim.

The defence did not request bail but asked for a medico-legal expert to be appointed in the inquiry to document the wounds suffered by the accused. 

Inspector Zahra did not object and said this had already been done.

Lawyers Darlene Grima and Kaylie Bonnett from the Office of the Attorney General, along with Zahra and Inspector Brian Xuereb, prosecuted.

Lawyers Arthur Azzopardi, Franco Debono, Charmaine Cherret and Jacob Magri represented the brothers.

Life of crime

Victim Rivas has been identified as a “High-Value Target” by international intelligence services over his suspected involvement in organised crime. 

According to Romanian media reports, he had been linked to armed robbery, attempted murder and forming part of an organised crime group over the past two decades. 

In 2015, he was among a group of men arrested in Romania, suspected of having broken into a family home, wielding a firearm and stealing some €100,000.

He had reportedly been the subject of international arrest warrants in the past, however sources in Malta confirmed he was not the subject of any arrest warrants at the time of his killing in Malta.