A man who is currently on trial for planting a pipe bomb outside Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Cassar’s house yesterday categorically denied any involvement in the attack and dismissed claims by those who tried to implicate him as downright lies.

Emanuel Camilleri, 40, from Mqabba, yesterday exercised the right to testify in his defence. He took the stand in the evening session after Assistant Attorney General Anthony Barbara rested the prosecution’s case.

Camilleri is accused of planting a bomb outside Assistant Police Commissioner Michael Cassar’s house in 1994. He is also accused of trafficking heroin and cocaine as well as seriously injuring Marco Abdilla when he shot him in the leg on 21 March 1998.

The bill of indictment drawn up against Camilleri alleged he was deeply involved in cocaine and heroin trafficking and was losing money due to AC Cassar’s success in drug investigations, the motive behind planting the bomb.

Camilleri began his testimony by clearing something up about his family nickname. “I am known as Leli tal-Mqabba and not Leli l-Bully. It was various local newspapers that labelled me with the ‘Bully’ nickname,” he said.

Camilleri said the whole issue started in 1994 when he met Charles Muscat, il-Pips, a fellow football fan. He said that they were friends and used to visit each other’s homes. “But sometime in 1994, Charles got heavily into cocaine and began taking it at home while his wife and children were there. He was paranoid and began to suspect that I was trying to seduce his wife, so I slowly cut him out of the picture,” said Camilleri.

He said that he hardly saw Muscat anymore, but one day in September 1998 he heard that he had killed two people. “I was in Burmarrad at the time and I didn’t want to go home. I was frightened, he was paranoid about me and if he killed two people, I was afraid of what he would do to me,” said Camilleri. He said he received a professional opinion to seek out police protection.

He said he went home later and three police officers, including Assistant Commissioner Cassar arrived on his doorstep. He said that he invited two of them in but asked Mr Cassar whom he was because he did not know him.

Quoting Mr Cassar verbatim, Mr Camilleri said: “Don’t you know who I am? I am the person whose house you tried to bomb.”

This point was disputed and Mr Cassar was later brought into the courtroom for a showdown and said that although his feelings were running high, he remained professional, even when Camilleri tapped him on the shoulder and called him a friend (siehbi).

Camilleri was later taken to the police headquarters for questioning and he was asked if he had planted the bomb. “I was shocked. I didn’t know anything about any bomb and I told the police so. I didn’t answer their questions because I couldn’t. I had no knowledge of it whatsoever.”

Mr Camilleri also asked who in their right mind would boast about planting a bomb outside a police officer’s house. He was making reference to claims made by Marco Abdilla, now deceased, who claimed that Camilleri tried to commission him to plant the bomb and had also shown it to him.

“I didn’t know Marco Abdilla. I met him three weeks before I was charged in court,” said Camilleri. He said that someone had told him that Abdilla reported him to the police about the bomb incident and he decided to seek him out. “He had been in prison with Muscat and told me that he (Pips) wanted Lm200,000 for lawyers’ fees. I told him to forget it, but he convinced me to lend him Lm50.”

Camilleri said that Abdilla’s claims about seeing the bomb and being told about the bomb was hogwash. “I didn’t take any bomb in any car. I would have been crazy to do so. When we transport fireworks we crawl along and put them on cushions. I would be crazy to take a bomb in the car with me.

“And as for his claims of owing me Lm30,000 or so, that is also a load of rubbish. I never let debtors owe me more than a thousand or so on work so why would I allow someone to rack up a debt of Lm30,000?” said Camilleri.

He said that after he was taken into custody, Abdilla used to go round to his parents’ house asking for money. “I ended up having to go on hunger strike before I could field a report to keep him away from my family,” he said.

Asked about his quarry, Camilleri said he did not use any explosives. “My quarries are soft limestone (franka). We just use saws. And as for fireworks, I only hold a B licence, which more or less means you can do menial jobs but are not allowed into any factories or to handle the explosives on your own,” he said.

Earlier in the day Charles Muscat testified. He said that when he was arrested for two murders he was not in a good frame of mind as he was under the influence of drugs. “I don’t know what I told the police. I might have told them that Leli planted the bomb but I made it up in my own mind at the time. I had binged on cocaine. I don’t even remember killing two people let alone what I told the police,” he said.

When the prosecution read out the statement in question where Muscat said: “He showed me a bomb in his car and later told me that he planted it …” Muscat said, “No he never showed me a bomb. I am clean of drugs and in a good frame of mind. I am telling the truth today. He did not tell me those things,” he said.

Muscat also said that he never saw Abdilla and Camilleri together. Muscat also admitted that in 1998, he suspected that the accused was trying to seduce his wife and said that he did have an underlying feeling of wanting to get revenge on Camilleri.

Paul Spagnol also testified. Spagnol was a good friend of Abdilla’s and said he had shot himself accidentally in the foot with his own shotgun.

One witness, who is not being named by court order, admitted to buying drugs, cocaine in particular, from Camilleri.

Another witness, Sharon Mizzi, also admitted to buying drugs from Camilleri, but only after the judge impounded her for half an hour for not cooperating with the prosecution and answering questions.

Another man, Sandro Mifsud denied that Camilleri sold him drugs.

The trial continues this morning. Assistant Attorney General Anthony Barbara prosecuted

while Dr Michael Sciriha and Dr John Attard Montalto appeared for Camilleri.