Court sets bail at €10,000 for men charged with Birkirkara murder

Bail was set at €10,000 for the two Libyan brothers charged with murdering another Libyan national in Birkirkara last November.

Siraj Belhasem Shalgum, 36, and Gusam Saleh Belhasem Shalgum, 31, stand accused of murdering of Fouzi Farj Etwaish, 40, who was found dead in the Shalgum’s Birkirkara residence. Both men have said that Etwaish was staying at their flat.

They have also been charged with attempting to conceal evidence of a crime and with possession of an unlicensed weapon. The elder sibling alone stands accused of making a false declaration. The men have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court, presided over by Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, set bail against a personal guarantee of €50,000. Both men will be required to sign the bail book once a week.

The incident took place on Triq il-Bwieraq, Birkara, during the early hours of Sunday, 25 November 2017. During the compilation of evidence, a forensics expert told the court that the probable cause of death was a deep stab wound in the upper thigh, which had punctured a major artery. The court was also told that the victim had suffered five superficial wounds on his arm.

The prosecution told the court that CCTV footage showed that more than an hour and a half had passed between the reported shouting from their residence and the arrival of help. The footage also showed the victim stumbling out of the front door, slamming into the pavement and hitting his face against a parked car.

An item of clothing found by investigators inside a rubbish bin in the accused’s home had holes compatible with the wounds found on the victim’s arm.

Inspectors James Grech and Roderick Spiteri are prosecuting, while lawyers Franco Debono and Amadeus Cachia are representing the accused.