The Degiorgio brothers admitted to murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia because they wanted to avoid a life sentence, George Degiorgio told a court on Friday. 

He was testifying in the case that he and his brother Alfred opened seeking a retrial in the case that saw them sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for their part in planting the bomb that killed the journalist on October 16, 2017. 

Last October, the brothers dramatically admitted to the charges brought against them hours before the trial by jury was set to start. 

However, a month later, they filed a case seeking a retrial, claiming that their last-minute admission was brought about by a lack of equality of arms.

Their lawyers renounced their brief weeks before the trial and attempts to find representation proved fruitless as no lawyer was willing to take on their case.

They consequently were appointed a legal aid lawyer, who they claim left them disadvantaged as he had little time to prepare while the prosecution was fully armed to go to trial. 

Taking the stand on Friday, George Degiorgio told Madam Justice Audrey Demicoli that on the morning of October 14, 2022, the day the trial was expected to begin, he saw his brother being carried out of his jail cell on a stretcher at around 6.30 am.

He was subsequently transported to court by himself, which was unusual, and later met up with his brother at the court lock-up. 

Alfred Degiorgio was in a wheelchair, he said, accompanied by a doctor and a nurse. Degiorgio said that his brother was unresponsive when he attempted to speak to him and raised concerns with the officials accompanying them about allowing him to go to court in that state. 

Later, Degiorgio said that he spoke to his court-appointed lawyer, Simon Micallef Stafrace, who told him that he would attempt to defer the case again to give him more time to prepare. 

However, this was unsuccessful and Madam Justice Edwina Grima ordered the case to start and the process of selecting jurors began. 

Degiorgio said that he was “shocked” that the case would continue when their legal defence was in such poor condition, further exacerbated by the fact that his brother continued to maintain his silence and he could not consult with him. 

During a break in the proceeding, Degiorgio said that he spoke to Micallef Stafrace again, who told him there were limited options on how to proceed with the case. 

“I told him, are we going to continue like this, when you are not prepared and my brother is in this state,” Degiorgio said. 

“He replied that if we continued as is, we are certainly going to lose.” 

Degiorgio said he told his lawyer that he did not wish to continue if a loss was certain. Micallef Stafrace, he said, then told him there are “only two options” going forward. 

“He told me that if we go up and we lose the case we had a possibility of a life sentence,” Degiorgio continued. 

“I asked him what’s option two and he told me ‘Well, you could admit’.”

Degiorgio said that he did not want to shoulder the responsibility of making a decision while his brother was non-responsive and instructed his lawyer to “see what he could do” to avoid a life sentence. 

“He asked me, ‘So you’re going to admit?’ and I replied ‘What choice do I have?’,” he said. 

Micallef Stafrace left for around two hours, Degiorgio continued, and when he returned informed them that their admission would result in a recommendation for a 40-year sentence. 

“I hung my head at that. I told him to go and get it done because I was tired of the situation,” he said. 

Degiorgio added that throughout the years that the case has been ongoing, he and his brother had never agreed to admit to the charges and were insistent upon going to trial. 

“The decision was made there and then because he told me it was the only option I had,” he said.

The case continues on May 30. 

Lawyers Leslie Cuschieri and Noel Bianco appeared for Degiorgio.