A woman was caught taking photos of a man testifying against her boyfriend's younger brother, shortly after he had complained about being intimidated.
The case revolves around an incident that took place on 30 January – an argument involving four Libyans in a Swieqi flat which left a man in danger of dying.
The court had heard how Wadea Al Maghrbi, 25, and Mohamed Abdul Hafid Abukem, 21, had gone to an apartment occupied by Zouhir Elfezqa and Mohamed Hafed al-Arara. The first two allegedly attacked Mr Elfezqa and one of them, Mr Al Magharbi, was stabbed in the thigh. He was taken to hospital in critical condition.
Consequently, Elfezqa was charged with attempted murder while Al Maghrbi and Abukem were charged with attempted grievous bodily harm.
A&E consultant Jonathan Joslin said today that Al Maghrbi had a 3-centimetre stab wound in his left thigh and had lost a considerable amount of blood. He had to undergo surgery and required two bags of blood. The man, he said, was incoherent due to low blood pressure. Mr Joslin said he could not comment on the dynamics of the wound as the priority at the time was to save the man’s life.
Next up on the witness stand was Mohamed Hafed al-Arara, Elfezqa’s flatmate. He said Al Maghrbi and Abukem went to the flat at around 7am. The first was carrying a metal rod and had a knife in his belt while the latter was also carrying a knife.
“They went straight into Mr Elfezqa’s bedroom and Al Maghrbi hit him on the head. Then they dragged him into the living room and continued beating him.” The witness said the two were accusing Elfezqa of collaborating with the Tripoli police. Mr Elfezqa, he said, was trying to deflect the blows with his hands. The witness said Al Maghrbi had drawn out his knife but he only saw him hit Elfezqa with his hands. At this point he ran out and went to call the police.
Inspector James Grech, prosecuting, said the witness was leaving out important bits of information he had given in his initial statement. “I know why he is doing this. It is because Abukem’s older brother has been calling him.”
The witness confirmed that Abukem’s older brother, Ramsi, had called him and demanded that he get his little brother out of the mess he was in. “I told him I would only speak the truth,” Mr al-Arara said.
At one point in the sitting, a woman who was sitting next to Mr Elfezqa was caught taking pictures of the witness with her mobile phone. The phone was confiscated by the prosecuting officers, who confirmed that she had taken at least one picture of al-Arari. Magistrate Josette Demicoli said she would inform the Police Commissioner and ask him to take any steps he deemed necessary against the woman. It later transpired that the woman was Ramsi’s girlfriend.
At this point the witness asked for, and was granted, protection by the court. Mr al-Arari seemed spooked and constantly turned around to look at the doorway. The court ordered some people standing behind the door to leave the court building.
Dr Azzopardi said his client had been sleeping in his bed when two men barged in and started hitting him. Yet he was the one who was facing the most serious charges.
Lawyer Martin Fenech, appearing for Abukem, argued that Elfezqa was actually the aggressor, insisting that Al Maghrbi would have died had he not been given prompt medical treatment.
At the end of today’s sitting Mr Elfezqa was granted bail against a deposit of €2,300 and a personal guarantee of €15,000. Mr Abukem was remanded in custody. Inspectors James Grech and Elton Taliana are prosecuting.
The case continues on 17 February.