An Albanian man arrested in Malta is believed to have killed two people and set their bodies on fire after robbing them of  €780,000 in Greece.

But defence lawyers say police have arrested the wrong man, arguing that their client’s name does not match that on the arrest warrant.

The man, 36-year-old Ledjon Brakaj, was arrested in Malta after Greek authorities issued a European Arrest Warrant in March. That triggered an alert on the Schengen Information System, which in turn led to the wanted man being tracked down in Malta.

Brakaj was escorted to court on Saturday afternoon, as authorities began proceedings to have him extradited to Greece, to face criminal charges.

A gruesome 2015 double murder

The man is wanted in connection with a 2015 double murder committed on the Greek island Aegina, which shocked the quiet island community.

Irini Marmarino, who ran a souvenir business in Aegina, was found dead alongside her nephew Lambros Protonotarios inside her home.

Both victims had been tortured before they were killed. An autopsy concluded that the perpetrators beat the two victims so fiercely that they caused crushing fractures all over their bodies and then, while they were still breathing, they set them on fire.

Investigations showed that Marmarino had withdrawn her life savings, amounting to almost €800,000, a short time before, Greek media reported. 

The house had been ripped apart when investigators found it, but display cases containing silverware were untouched. The money was never found.

Defence flags identity concerns

Appearing in a Maltese court on Saturday, Brakaj's defence lawyers flagged doubts as to whether their client was actually the wanted man. The European Arrest Warrant made reference to different names, they said.

Defence lawyers also noted that while police officers had lifted Brakaj’s fingerprints, they had not produced those prints in court as evidence.

Although the defence contested the issue of identity, the court, presided over by magistrate Noel Bartolo, declared on a balance of probabilities that the case was to proceed.

Brakaj did not file a request for bail and remained silent throughout the sitting. 

The case continues next week.

Inspectors Kurt Ryan Farrugia and Robinson Mifsud prosecuted. Lawyers Franco Debono and Francesca Zarb were defence counsel.

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