One of the three men accused of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia had told investigators that the trio was paid €150,000 to carry out the hit, Reuters reports.

The testimony given by Vince Muscat, who is seeking a presidential pardon, was leaked to Reuters and published on Thursday. Muscat stands charged with the murder, along with George and Alfred Degiorgio.

According to Reuters, Muscat had dropped Alfred Degiorgio at Busy Bee in Msida. A short while later, the man returned, telling Muscat that they had the contract. This was summer 2017.

According to the information he gave the police in 2018, in an attempt to secure a pardon, Muscat said €30,000 of the €150,000 were delivered upfront.

The bomb used in the murder was bought from Maltese gangsters and supplied by the Italian mafia, the report says.

At some point, Vince Muscat named taxi driver Melvin Theuma as the middleman who arranged the killing. Alfred Degiorgio met Theuma several times, with Muscat driving him to the meeting place.

Muscat, known as ‘il-Kohhu’, told investigators that he had never heard Degiorgio and Theuma discussing the killing, but Degiorgio had briefed him after each meeting.

According to the information given by Muscat, the three had initially plotted to shoot Daphne, and had bought a rifle with telescopic sights. The rifle, which was to be fired by Alfred Degiorgio, was bought from Italy.

The men then began watching Daphne’s movements, following her car and observing her home. They noticed that the journalist would often sit at a particular window, working on her laptop. Sandbags had been set up to provide a stable rest for the rifle.

On one occasion, the men followed Caruana Galizia on a family outing at the Phoenicia Hotel. They had also followed her to the airport when she went abroad with her husband.

Theuma had helped watch the couple’s car at the airport carpark to see when they returned.

For unknown reasons, the men later decided that it would be too difficult to shoot Daphne, so they decided to use a car bomb instead.

Reuters said the police have identified those who are suspected of supplying the bomb and hope to make arrests soon.

Muscat told investigators that they had devised a special leash to control Daphne’s dog since she parked her car inside her compound most of the time. However, on 15 October 2017, they noticed that they car had been parked outside the compound. The bomb was planted in the early hours of the 16th.

Muscat allegedly told investigators that Alfred Degiorgio had broken into the car from the rear-quarter window, with George Degiorgio watching from a vantage point and Muscat watching the lane outside the house. The bomb was placed under the driver’s seat.

Muscat allegedly claimed that the hit money was handed to Alfred Degiorgio by Melvin Theuma within 10 days of the bombing at a place called Ramla Eaz in Zejtun.

Theuma is due to testify in court on Thursday and Friday. Vince Muscat’s wife, Pauline, told Reuters that “It’s a complete injustice that Theuma should give evidence against Vince when Vince was the one that led police to him and helped solve this case. He is the one who should be pardoned, not Melvin.”