The defendant is a 22-year-old Yugoslav national, Illiya Vukadinovic, who is charged with the murder of Mr Drago who was found dead at the side of the pavement in The Strand in Sliema, opposite Forestals. The accused had turned himself in to the police later the same day.

During yesterday’s sitting, the defence and the prosecution began summing up their respective cases by making submissions to the jury.

Defence lawyer Malcolm Mifsud insisted that the prosecution had not managed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused had the specific intention of killing Mr Drago. He continued that his client had been acting in self-defence when he punched Mr Drago.

Dr Mifsud said Mr Vukadinovic was approached with a knife, denoting that he was in imminent danger and therefore had had to punch Mr Drago to escape from this situation where his life was in danger.

Dr Mifsud said Mr Drago was still alive when his client left the scene. “My client did not kill Mr Drago and cannot explain who killed him, but it certainly wasn’t him. The investigation was not carried out as it should have been and the evidence was flawed and inconclusive,” he said.

Prosecuting officer Dr Mark Said repeated the allegations contained in the bill of indictment, that this was a ferocious, savage assault on Mr Drago by the accused and that Mr Drago died as a result of Vukadinovic’s assault.

Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono, who is presiding over the court, is expected to continue delivering his final address to the jurors today before they retire to consider their verdict.After the prosecution rested its case and the defence put forward its arguments, the judge addressed the jurors, who are likely to begin deliberating and may announce the verdict later today.

Prosecuting officer Dr Anthony Barbara has called Shnishah the “mastermind” behind the murder. Mr Rizzo was found dead in his salon on 4 February 1998. Aimen El-Baden, who was originally Shnishah’s co-accused, was found guilty of the actual murder and is currently serving a 25-year jail term.

Dr Barbara said it was Shnishah who urged El-Baden to kill Mr Rizzo because he knew he was a wealthy man. “He even gave him the knife with which Alfie was murdered,” said the prosecutor.

In his speech yesterday, Dr Barbara urged the jurors to believe the testimony given by Ahmed Shafi. This witness had taken the stand earlier in the trial and said the accused told him he gave El-Baden the murder weapon and had waited outside Mr Rizzo’s salon as El-Baden committed the murder.

In response to this, Dr Joseph Brincat, who is defending Shnishah, said the testimony of one witness is not enough to swing a guilty verdict. What Mr Shafi said had not been corroborated – moreover, it was actually contradicted by another witness for the prosecution, he said. Dr Brincat was referring to El-Baden’s testimony. He testified behind closed doors, but the defence attorney said El-Baden did not mention Shnishah’s involvement in the murder.

After the defence and the prosecution had both made their cases, presiding judge Mr Justice Galea Debono began addressing the jurors to explain the finer points of the law and break down the options with which they were presented.

The judge will continue his address this morning, after which the jurors will begin their deliberations and eventually produce a

verdict.