Pietru Pawl Busuttil, a household name in the late 1980s after he was framed for the political murder of Raymond Caruana, died today. He was 74.

In 1986, the weapon that was used to kill Raymond Caruana at the Gudja Nationalist Party club had been located by the police at his farmhouse in Safi.

Then PN leader Eddie Fenech Adami had immediately labelled Busuttil's arrest as a frame-up.

He was later acquitted of all the charges made against him by the courts of law, and was awarded €93,000 (Lm40,000) in damages.

He later served as the first mayor of Safi and held the position for 18 years.

He died this morning at the Sir Anthony Mamo Hospital after a battle with cancer.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party paid tribute to Busuttil, saying that he will remembered as a symbol in the country's fight for democracy, justice and freedom in the 1980s.

The party said that in spite of the difficult time he went through, Busuttil remained strong and determined.