The third suspect implicated in August’s double murder in Sliema is expected to be extradited to Malta by the end of the month.
Sources close to the investigation told Times of Malta that Jesper Kristiansen lost his challenge against his extradition from Spain, where he was residing soon after he fled Malta after he realised the Maltese police were closing in on him.
It is understood that he also lost the appeal he had lodged against the extradition decision and was now simply awaiting documentation to be able to travel to Malta under heavy security.
It is not clear whether the Maltese police will be sending over a contingent to Spain to bring over the suspect or whether it will be the Spanish police who will deliver him to the Maltese authorities in Malta.
Kristiansen, a Danish national, is wanted in Malta to face charges in connection with his alleged involvement in the cold-blooded murder of Christian Pandolfino and his partner Ivor Maciejowski in their home in Locker Street on August 18.
He was arrested by Spanish police almost two weeks later, on August 30. He was found inside a hotel in the southwestern city of Cadiz in a joint operation between the Maltese and Spanish police and through the help of Interpol.
It was then that the Maltese authorities kickstarted the judicial process to bring the Danish man back to Malta and face justice through a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) and an extradition request.
Through an EAW, police in one jurisdiction can apply for a suspect in another EU country to be arrested on their behalf, and then sent back to a country where they face prosecution or have been sentenced to jail.
An EAW is a judicial procedure intended to make it harder for a person wanted for a crime in an EU member state to evade justice by moving to another country.
The procedure is in force across all EU member states and no country can refuse to surrender its own nationals.
CCTV footage from the crime scene showed three men entering the house and emerging just four minutes later.
Gold belonging to the two was missing and investigators have said they believe the murders were theft-related. Using still images from the footage, the police first arrested Daniel Muka, a 25-year-old Albanian man, and the second suspect Macedonian Viktor Dragomanski. Both are facing criminal charges in court and are pleading not guilty.
Muka was in the news again earlier this month after the prison authorities foiled his planned escape from the Corradino Correctional Facilities where he was allegedly found in possession of illicit items.