A 22-year-old man from Serbia on Tuesday was charged with the murder of his roommate at Mount Carmel Hospital last July.
In a statement earlier, the police said it had received information from the Correctional Services Agency that a man who was being kept at the forensic unit at Mount Carmel Hospital had spoken to one of its officials about his involvement in a murder.
The man had been arrested immediately, the police said.
The victim was Jesmond Gatt, 54, who last July had been taken to Mater Dei Hospital in serious condition after being found in a pool of blood while receiving treatment at Mount Carmel. He died in hospital 19 days later.
A magisterial inquiry had been launched.
Arraigned before Magistrate Nadine Sant Lia, Vuk Milic, from Serbia, said he lived in Msida and was unemployed.
Police inspector Kurt Zahra told the court that on Sunday he had received a call from prison authorities informing him that the accused had spoken to an officer and confessed to the murder.
Zahra said he had immediately informed the inquiring magistrate. Milic was certified to be fit for interrogation before the police started to question him.
During the course of the police interrogation, Milic admitted to being the one who murdered Gatt, who had died in hospital two weeks after being found in a pool of blood, the court heard.
Defence attorneys Jose Herrera and Alex Scerri Herrera pointed out that a person undergoing treatment at Mount Carmel Hospital should not have been allowed to make such a statement without the presence of a lawyer, and that they therefore will be contesting such a declaration.
The prosecuting officer replied that the accused had renounced to his right to a lawyer twice.
No request for bail was made and the defendant was remanded in custody.
AG lawyers Kaylie Bonett and Darlene Grima are prosecuting along with inspectors Zahra and Wayne Camilleri. Lawyer Matthew Xuereb is also assisting the defence while Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit are representing the victim's family.
Gatt was awaiting release on bail at the time of the incident. The police had said at the time that Gatt had suffered serious head injuries, and later died in hospital.
Gatt had been charged with arson last April after he had allegedly set fire to the main door of a house in Hamrun.
Asked about the incident at the time, prison director Christopher Siegersma had said that "unfortunately, the person you referred to, a resident at the Forensic Unit, had a long medical history that made him vulnerable. CSA has been informed that he slipped and hit his head and has consequently succumbed to his injuries at 00.50hrs today at Mater Dei Hospital. Nonetheless, a Magisterial inquiry is underway as per usual procedure," Siegersma said.
"As with any other unit coordinated by the Correctional Services Agency, the Forensic Unit of Mount Carmel Hospital prioritises the safety and well-being of its patients. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and relevant authorities is essential in maintaining a standard that meets the requirements of a licensed facility."