Police Superintendent Nicholas Vella on Thursday resumed his testimony in the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech, with proceedings focusing largely on the police investigation into middleman Melvin Theuma, his arrest, the evidence recovered from his possession, and his financial affairs.
During a lengthy cross-examination by defence lawyer Gianella de Marco, Vella was questioned extensively on Theuma's assets, the investigation into his wealth, the handling of his "phantom job", and the police's application to recover money under the terms of the presidential pardon granted to Theuma.
Fenech, 44, has pleaded not guilty to two principal charges: complicity in the wilful homicide of Daphne Caruana Galizia and criminal association to commit the murder.
Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb on 16 October, 2017.
Five men have already been convicted in connection with Caruana Galizia's assassination. Vince Muscat admitted his role in the murder in 2021 and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Alfred and George Degiorgio each received 40-year prison sentences after pleading guilty in 2022, while Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2025 for supplying the bomb used in the attack.
The prosecution is being led by Attorney General lawyers Godwin Cini, Anthony Vella and Danika Vella, assisted by Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra. Fenech is represented by lawyers Charles Mercieca, Gianella Demarco and Gianluca Caruana Curran, while lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi are appearing parte civile on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family.
Judge Edwina Grima is presiding.
Please refresh for updates
18:50 After a day dominated by the defence's cross-examination of Superintendent Nicholas Vella and a succession of forensic witnesses confirming the evidence they gathered during the investigation, the day has come to an end.
The trial resumes Friday morning with more witnesses. Thanks for following our live coverage, a roundup of the day's sitting will be uploaded on our website shortly.
18:43 The sitting continues with further testimony from officers within the Forensic Unit, as Police Constable Lara Garcia confirms that on the day of Melvin Theuma's arrest, she had been tasked with photographing his residence and garage in Marsaskala.
She was followed by Police Constable Graham Cassar Bonaci, who also confirmed the photographs he had taken during searches carried out at Theuma's properties in Marsaskala, Żurrieq and Qormi.
18:36 Although the sitting had been scheduled to end at 6.30pm, proceedings are still ongoing as the court continued hearing further witnesses.
Amid the concentration in the courtroom, the sound of a band passing outside the court building once again filtered into the background, briefly lightening the atmosphere. The sound of trumpets and marching music could be heard clearly inside the courtroom, with some jurors seen smiling and gently nodding along to the rhythm before their attention returned to the evidence being heard.
18:22 The next witness is Sergeant Christian Mintoff, a photographer with the Forensic Unit, who presented photographs taken at Melvin Theuma's residence in Żurrieq during searches carried out following his arrest in November 2019.
The photographs showed large amounts of cash, as well as gold, jewellery and several vehicles found at the property.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Charles Mercieca asks whether Theuma's partner had been present during the search. Sergeant Mintoff confirms that she had, adding that the cash had been found scattered across various rooms and different parts of the apartment.
18:10 The next witness is Police Constable Daniel Formosa, a photographer with the Police Force's Forensic Unit. He presented several photographs he had taken of evidence recovered from the residence of the partner of the daughter of Melvin Theuma's partner.
Following his brief testimony, Sergeant Abigail Grech, who also works as a forensic photographer, took the witness stand.
She testifies that on 27 April 2020, she took 155 photographs of cash, certificates, contracts and other documents connected to the investigation.
Grech adds that she subsequently took a further 305 photographs of evidence that had been recovered from Melvin Theuma's residence in Żurrieq.
Grech tells the court she photographed evidence at the Bank of Valletta's Marsa branch on 26 November 2019, where Melvin Theuma was present.
Grech is shown the photographs one by one and confirms they were all taken by her.
17:54 Brandon Gili confirms he was tasked on November 14, 2019 with documenting the opening of Melvin Theuma's now-famous ice cream tub.
The court is shown footage and photographs of the seal being cut before the container is opened.
Gili confirms he filmed the procedure at the request of the inquiring magistrate and tells the court he also took 97 photographs documenting the process.
The defence has no questions, and Gili steps down from the witness stand.
17:35 The forensic witnesses are now walking the court through a series of reports compiled during the investigation.
One report relates to DNA mouth swabs taken from Alfred and George Degiorgio at Police Headquarters on 5 December, 2017.
Another concerns the transfer of mobile phones, sealed in Faraday bags, to Europol and the Netherlands Forensic Institute for forensic analysis.
17:25 Court is back in session. The next witnesses are Inspectors Charlo Casha and Brendan Cini from the Forensic Science Laboratory.
Casha begins by identifying the report he compiled on the forensic examination of the scene of Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder in Bidnija on October 16, 2017.
He gives the court an overview of the operation.
He says he coordinated the forensic response at the scene, overseeing the preservation and collection of evidence while working alongside local experts, specialists flown in from the Netherlands, members of the Armed Forces of Malta and court-appointed experts.
16:49 The jurors have one question for Police Constable Clayton Gatt before he steps down.
They ask whether the documents Melvin Theuma retrieved from beneath the extractor hood were original documents or photocopies.
Gatt tells the court he cannot remember.
With that, proceedings break once again.
We'll be back at 5.15pm when the trial resumes.
16:40 Police Constable Clayton Gatt, from the Major Crimes Unit, is the next witness.
He's testifying about the documents Melvin Theuma retrieved from a hiding place in the kitchen of his Marsaskala home.
Theuma himself reached into the hidden compartment, pulled out the documents and handed them over.
Gatt tells the court the documents were concealed beneath the extractor hood above the cooker.
He says he photographed the scene before the documents were passed on to Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud.
16:34 The jurors then turn to the searches carried out at Theuma's Marsaskala property.
Asked how thorough police searches are, Vella says it depends on what investigators are looking for.
He says he went through "every single piece of paper" at the property, seizing anything relevant to the investigation while leaving behind items such as advertising leaflets.
Among the material recovered, he says, were notebooks recording gambling winnings.
A juror refers to Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud's earlier testimony about receipts from lawyer William Cuschieri allegedly found hidden inside the oven hood in Theuma's Marsaskala property, asking whether they had been found during the search.
Vella says investigators always try to be as thorough as possible, but accepts that some items may not be discovered immediately.
16:28 With the defence's cross-examination over, it's now the jurors' turn to put questions to Superintendent Nicholas Vella.
The first juror asks whether Vella had ever been informed that the money laundering investigation formed part of a wider strategy to get access to the middleman in Daphne Caruana Galizia's muder.
"No, not in black on white," Vella replies.
He adds, however, that Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud had informed him of this verbally.
"So you took a risk?"
The jurors' questions continue with a question about Theuma's ice-cream tub.
One juror asks whether Vella had checked with Melvin Theuma if there was anything dangerous inside before opening it.
"Yes," Vella replies. "He said no."
"So you took him at his word?"
"Yes."
"So you took a risk?"
"Yes."
16:27 The defence spends the final few minutes quizzing Vella about the FIAU and how intelligence reports make their way to the police.
She suggests a leak had happened about suspicious transactions before the FIAU's report had even been issued. The witness agrees the information had reached investigators beforehand, but says he cannot recall exactly when.
"It was before, yes," he says. "Whether it was days, weeks, months or years before, I can't say."
The defence then asks whether the FIAU reports directly to the police commissioner.
"I don't know exactly how the hierarchy works. I stand to be corrected," Nicholas Vella replies.
"So the FIAU doesn't communicate with the commissioner?" the defence presses.
"I'm not going to tell you yes if that's not the case," Vella says. "I don't know the chain through which it passes."
Asked again whether the police commissioner is informed of FIAU reports, Vella declines to speculate.
That concludes the cross-examination of Superintendent Nicholas Vella.
16:08 The defence now shifts to media reports about the investigation.
"Were there any leaks to Times of Malta in this case?" she asks.
"There were leaks," Vella replies.
The defence lawyer then begins reading from a Times of Malta article.
It reports that then-police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar had been told not to speak to Edgar Brincat again after investigators uncovered the messages between them.
The article goes on to state that Cutajar nevertheless met Brincat again just as the murder investigation team had decided to arrest Melvin Theuma.
The defence finishes reading the extracts before pressing on with the cross-examination.
15:57 The defence points out that the planned 5pm meeting never took place. The following day was the day police arrested both "Il-Ġojja" and Melvin Theuma.
The defence asks the witness whether anyone had ever told the police commissioner not to meet Brincat.
Superintendent Nicholas Vella looks taken aback by the suggestion.
"Was anyone telling him not to meet Brincat?" he repeats incredulously.
"So nobody ever spoke to him about it?" the defence presses.
"We went to him because of the chats and asked him about them," Vella replies. "But we never told him not to meet Brincat."
The defence then asks whether there had been any media leaks about the case. "There were leaks," Vella acknowledges.
Vella is asked whether he remembers that the first request for a 5pm call came the day before police arrested Brincat and Theuma.
"I remember there were chats," Vella replies, "but I don't remember exactly when they took place."
15:55 The defence now reads aloud a string of messages exchanged between Edgar Brincat, known as "Il-Ġojja", and then-police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar.
"Five minutes and I'll call you," one message reads.
"Tuesday: 5pm, okay," Brincat replies.
"Okay," comes the response.
The following day, another exchange follows.
"I'm in a meeting. I'll call you when I finish," one message says.
A missed voice call appears in the chat.
Brincat then writes: "I'm with someone. I'll text you before I call."
15:45 The defence asks what happened once the messages were discovered. "I informed the inquiring magistrate," Vella replies.
He says the magistrate came to the police depot, examined the messages on the phone and, at around 8pm, Inspector Keith Arnaud was contacted. Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar was then called and asked to come to the depot.
Asked whether the discovery concerned him, Vella responds with a nod.
He says police later went to Cutajar's office, printed out the chats and asked him to explain them. Cutajar said he knew Melvin Theuma might have recordings, and he said that Edgar Brincat was close to Theuma.
"He said he wanted Brincat to convince Theuma to come forward," Vella tells the court.
The defence then points out that Cutajar had not been informed that Theuma's arrest had been brought forward to 14 November. "But he knew about the 16 November arrest?" she asks.
15:40 The defence returns to a topic that has surfaced repeatedly during the trial: the relationship between Edgar 'il-Ġojja' Brincat and former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar.
She reminds Vella of his earlier testimony that, after Brincat's arrest, investigators found what appeared to be a message arranging a meeting between two people. One contact, however, stood out.
The number was saved as "MRC".
"At the time I didn't know what it meant," Vella tells the court. "But I checked who the number belonged to and it turned out to be Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar."
He says members of the security services were already analysing the phone and passing information back to investigators as they worked through its contents. The messages, he says, related to a meeting just days before Melvin Theuma's arrest.
15:27 When asked by defence lawyer de Marco who was kept informed regarding the Melvin Theuma investigation, Vella identified himself, Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud, Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, and former Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla. However, Vella clarified that Commissioner Cutajar and former Assistant Commissioner Abdilla were not informed of the actual operation to arrest Theuma.
15:20 Judge Edwina Grima has returned to the courtroom and the jurors are seated. Lawyer Giannella de Marco is continuing her cross-examination of Superintendent Nicholas Vella.
13:10: The session has now broken for lunch. It will continue at 3pm.
13:06: The defence now zeroes in on Melvin Theuma's phantom government job.
He says he remembers Sandro Craus calling Theuma and telling him to go to Castille.
"You don't turn up at Castille uninvited," Vella says.
The next thing he recalls is Theuma and Schembri together with Kraus inside Schembri's office.
The photograph of the pair was taken by Craus, Vella says.
De Marco then asks whether Anthony Muscat had instructed that Theuma be taken on.
"Not employed, engaged," Vella replies.
He tells the court that Theuma went through the recruitment process, attended an interview and placed first in the interview.
"But he never actually turned up for work," De Marco remarks with a laugh.
Vella insists the interview itself appears to have been genuine.
"He attended the interview. He came first," he says.
"So at least we can say it wasn't a phantom interview," De Marco replies.
12:50: Vella reads from the application itself, quoting the clause stating that, the amount to be forfeited would be established following a financial analysis by police.
"So, the application was filed before the financial analysis?" Demarco asks.
"God forbid!" Vella exclaims. "The financial analysis was carried out. The disagreement is over the amount."
Demarco asks him whether the signature on the application is his.
"Yes," Vella says, adding that it was signed jointly with Ian Abdilla.
Vella explains that the application was filed on Abdilla's instructions, which is why they both signed it.
However, he says, further discussions took place afterwards and the amount referred to in the proclamation is no longer considered definitive.
"That process is still not concluded," he says.
12:45: De Marco asks Vella directly whether he had been ordered to file the court application.
"Ordered?" Vella repeats. "This forms part of an exercise that is still not concluded."
The defence pushes back, arguing that, from the police's perspective, the investigation had already been concluded and only the court proceedings remained.
"I don't agree that we concluded it," Vella replies. "As far as this application is concerned, we no longer have an interest in it because there was still work left to be done."
De Marco points out that the application has never been formally withdrawn.
Vella says the magisterial inquiry was concluded before police had the chance to withdraw it.
12:41: De Marco now turns to a court application concerning money that, under the terms of Melvin Theuma's presidential pardon, would be forfeited to the government.
She asks Vella how the police arrived at the figure of around €141,000.
Vella replies that the application was based on the conditions set out in Theuma's presidential pardon.
De Marco presses him, suggesting that part of the process was effectively out of the police's hands.
"To be fair, the proclamation is granted by the President of Malta," Vella replies.
Demarco points out that this is done on the recommendation of, among others, the police commissioner.
Vella says the application was filed jointly with former Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla.
12:26
The defence then moves on to the cash recovered during the searches.
Vella says police seized around €112,000 from the home of Chayenne and Ryan Farrugia, who were persons of interest at the time and were later charged.
"From these 20-year-olds?" de Marco asks.
"Yes," Vella replies.
He says officers also recovered €550,000, £5,000 sterling and 500 Swedish kronor from the Melvin's partner's Żurrieq home.
"She was a housewife," de Marco remarks, referring to the Melvin's partner.
Vella confirms the money was found there.
"And Melvin had the ice cream tub," de Marco remarks, referring to the now-infamous 2l vanilla tub, which Melvin carried with him throughout the arrest.
12:25 de Marco then turns to the police's financial inquiries.
She asks Vella whether investigators had examined accounts held at Bank of Valletta, HSBC and Banif, where, she says, "substantial sums of money circulated".
Vella says he included the figures in the application requesting the opening of the magisterial inquiry.
"I wrote it down somewhere... I think it's in the request to open the inquiry," he says, before adding: "I'm speaking from memory. I'm trying to find it in my notes."
De Marco suggests that around €1 million had passed through Theuma's BOV account.
Reading from his notes, Vella corrects her.
"It was around €1.2 million across BOV, Banif and HSBC, as well as the cash recovered from the searches," he says.
12:17 De Marco then moves on to the fate of some of Theuma's vehicles during the magisterial inquiry.
Besides the Mercedes and the Jaguar, he owned a Kia Sportage, a Nissan Leaf, and a Toyota Passo.
Vella confirms decisions to release certain cars were taken by the inquiring magistrate, not by the police.
The defence points out that Theuma had filed requests for the release of his Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar.
Vella replies that the vehicles were initially retained because they were of investigative interest and data still needed to be extracted from them.
Once that process was complete, the magistrate authorised their release, subject to conditions.
12:16
Defence lawyer Gianella de Marco then asks what became of the vehicles after Theuma's arrest.
"Did he get the taxis and the other cars back?" she asks.
"The taxis, no," Vella replies. "They were being operated by someone else."
"So, they stayed with him?" de Marco shoots back.
"No," Vella insists. "They stayed on the road, but they weren't returned to him."
The defence then turns to Theuma's properties.
"Were those seized?" de Marco asks.
"It's difficult to seize property," Vella replies.
He explains that police instead obtained a freezing order preventing Theuma from transferring his assets.
11:54 De Marco next picks up on a figure in Superintendent Vella's report, which values two of Melvin Theuma's taxis at around €600,000.
"Why am I saying €600,000 when the two vehicles together were worth around €41,000?" he asks rhetorically.
One car was bought in 2011 for €20,500 and another, used as a taxi, was purchased in 2017 for €20,200.
"The value isn't in the cars," he explains. "It's in the taxi permits."
He tells the court the permits, not the vehicles themselves, were worth around €600,000 because taxi licences were issued in limited numbers at the time.
Back then, he adds, Y-plate services had not yet entered the market, making traditional taxi permits considerably more valuable.
The questioning then turns to Theuma's wider fleet.
Vella says he owned around six vehicles, including a 2017 Mercedes-Benz. Demarco reads another entry from the report, referring to a 2016 Jaguar.
11:47 Vella says Ryan Farrugia would receive betting slips from customers, reading out wagers such as: "Play No. 1 on Saturday's draw - €2."
On Saturdays, before the Lotto draw, he would drive through places like Qormi and Luqa to collect cash before handing it over to Theuma, the superintendent says.
He adds that while Theuma was not particularly confident using computers, his daughter was, and his partner also lent a hand.
De Marco suggests the evidence paints the picture of a family-run operation.
"So it was a family business - that was the family's job?" she asks.
"I don't think so," Vella replies.
He insists Theuma's main occupation was driving a taxi, while Charmaine was a housewife who looked after their child and only helped with the illegal lottery operation on Wednesdays and Saturdays; the busiest days of the week, where the lotto was drawn.
11:45 The cross-examination moves on from property to the people closest to Melvin Theuma.
De Marco asks Superintendent Vella about Theuma's partner, Charmaine, and whether she was employed.
Vella replies that she was not working at the time, although she owned property in her own name.
The defence then asks about Charmaine's daughter, Shyanne.
Vella says she had worked for a period but was unemployed by the time of Theuma's arrest. He adds she helped Theuma run his illegal betting operation.
De Marco then turns to Shyanne's partner, Ryan Farrugia.
Vella tells the court Farrugia worked in construction but also assisted Theuma by collecting bets and gathering money owed by punters.
11:40 De Marco presses the point, suggesting the police had, in fact, identified 19 properties.
"You've got 19 here," she says. "Some of them may have been transferred to someone else. Do you have any proof that they had been passed on?"
Vella recalls two garages in Żebbuġ, Malta.
"But they're not on this list," Demarco shoots back. "You didn't include them."
"No," Vella replies.
The defence lawyer argues the list omits properties Theuma had previously owned and sold, before asking the witness whether they can at least agree there were 19 properties in total.
"So, it appears," Vella concedes. He adds that one particular garage in the list, a Santa Venera garage, had later been transferred to someone else.
He says only a few other properties were also missing from the list, including stables that were being managed by others.
Demarco then asks what Theuma did with the "stables".
Vella says many of them were occupied by other people.
"He rented them out," he confirms.
When De Marco asks who the tenants were, Vella replies simply: "Foreigners."
"Were they Airbnbs?" Demarco quips, before quickly adding with a smile: "I'm joking."
11:38 de Marco then turns her attention to documents filed at the outset of the magisterial inquiry.
She refers to a schedule compiled by Superintendent Vella, based on Identity Malta records, listing properties believed to be under Melvin Theuma's control.
She begins reading through the list aloud.
"A maisonette in Marsaskala... a garage in Marsaskala..." she says, working her way through the entries.
De Marco points out that the schedule contains 19 properties.
Vella pushes back.
"I identified 11 properties that I was 100% certain belonged to him and were still in his possession at the time," he tells the court.
11:36 De Marco then shifts gears, turning to the gap between Theuma's declared income and his apparent property dealings.
Vella tells the court between 2006 and 2018, Theuma declared around €250,000 in earnings - roughly €22,000 a year over the 12-year period.
The defence lawyer presses him on his property holdings.
"So how many properties did he actually have?" she asks, suggesting the figure was around 20.
Vella says investigators uncovered 21 documents linked to property transactions, but pushes back against the suggestion that they represented 21 properties owned by Theuma.
He points to two promise-of-sale agreements from 2019: one for the airspace above a property valued at €14,980, and another for a San Ġwann flat, for which a €16,500 deposit had been paid.
The paperwork, he insists, reflected transactions rather than a snapshot of Theuma's assets.
"As an example," Vella says, "he bought two garages in Żebbuġ and later sold them."
He rifles through his papers.
"I am certain that he owned 11 properties, 11 properties were linked to him."
11:34 We're back in court, where defence lawyer Gianella de Marco has opened her cross-examination of Superintendent Nicholas Vella by zeroing in on the police investigation into Melvin Theuma's finances.
She points out investigators had concluded, in less than a month, that Theuma was involved in money laundering and tax evasion.
The questioning then turns to Theuma's employment history.
Vella says Jobsplus records showed Theuma was employed in a government role, which later turned out to be the phantom job, but stumbles when asked to pin down the exact job title.
"A driver?" he ventures, before suggesting it was a role with the government agency responsible for housing maintenance and embellishment.
Demarco says that Theuma remained registered with Jobsplus until 29 September. Before that, he had been registered as a taxi driver.
Vella explains when Theuma took up the government post, the Jobsplus system automatically closed off his taxi-driver registration because a person cannot hold two full-time jobs at once.
"That doesn't necessarily mean he stopped driving taxis," Vella adds. "In fact, he carried on operating taxis."
10:52 The court has now adjourned for a half-hour break, after which the defence team will begin their cross-examination of the witness.
10:50 Police recovered several chat logs between Edgar Brincat, known as il-Ġojja, and the former Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar. Superintendent Nicholas Vella clarified that he was not involved in any investigations regarding potential information leaks from within the police force, as his assignment was strictly focused on the investigations targeting Theuma.
10:45 A separate investigation was launched into Theuma's "phantom job" with the government. Five individuals, including Yorgen Fenech and Keith Schembri, were charged in connection with this, but all were acquitted due to a lack of admissible evidence after Theuma refused to testify. The prosecution is currently appealing this acquittal.
10:40 Four of Theuma's family members were eventually charged with illegal gambling, while Theuma himself received a presidential pardon. The cash seized during the police searches was presented as evidence during the magisterial inquiry and subsequent criminal cases. While the €132,000 found with Theuma's partner's mother was initially seized, it was later released after she provided documentation that the funds were inherited. Legal proceedings against Theuma's partner and her daughter have concluded, with both being found guilty, while the daughter's partner remains involved in ongoing legal proceedings.
10:35 Police continued their search of multiple properties linked to Melvin Theuma, seizing a Toyota and a Mercedes in Żurrieq, along with a Jaguar located in a garage in Ħal Safi, as well as various personal items and electronic equipment. Significant amounts of cash were discovered during these searches: €112,304.40 was found at a Qormi property belonging to the daughter of Theuma's partner, and €550,207.70, including foreign currency, was found at Theuma's own residence in Żurrieq. Additionally, €1,900.64 was found in the possession of Theuma's partner, and €132,445 was found with her mother.
10:29 Superintendent Nicholas Vella continued explaining how police processed the evidence seized during the searches carried out following Melvin Theuma's arrest. Vella confirms investigators recovered chats between Theuma and Yorgen Fenech but said he did not know the contents of all the conversations.
The witness then explains the procedure followed when police arrest a suspect and identify communication with another person through a mobile phone.
He tells the court the device is immediately isolated from all communications by placing it inside a Faraday bag, a specialised evidence bag that blocks all incoming and outgoing signals.
This prevents the phone from connecting to mobile networks or cell towers, ensuring no calls, messages or remote access can alter or delete the data stored on the device before forensic examination.
10:08 In the video shown to jurors, police officers are seen removing a plastic ice cream tub from the evidence bag. Inside the tub, they discovered two Samsung mobile phones, a Philips voice recorder, a USB cable, and three USB sticks-two red and one black. The police also recovered a thick stack of papers bound by a rubber band, which contained large screenshots of chat conversations with Yorgen Fenech and the widely circulated photograph of Melvin Theuma standing with Keith Schembri at Castille.
10:04 Theuma eventually secured Matthew Brincat as his lawyer, with the assistance of Kathleen Grima, Vella tells the court. The "vital" box Theuma had refused to release was opened by police in his presence, a process that was recorded on film. Inside, police discovered a voice recorder, USB drives, mobile phones, and various documents. Jurors were shown the video footage of the box being removed from its evidence bag and opened by officers.
9:57 While at the police depot, authorities managed the logistics of the arrest, including notifying Child Protection Services because both Theuma and his partner were in custody, leaving their minor children without adult supervision after school. Among those arrested that day was Edgar Brincat, known as il-Ġojja; Superintendent Nicholas Vella noted that Brincat and Theuma communicated frequently. Although police searched Brincat's property, no evidence of value was recovered. In the days following the initial arrests, police conducted further searches of properties owned by Theuma that were being rented to third parties or family members.
9:51 Superintendent Vella continues that police entered Theuma's residence and arrested several family members. Regarding the box Theuma considered vital, it was agreed that the police would maintain possession of it, though it would remain with Theuma wherever he was taken. A court expert was appointed to secure Theuma's electronic devices. A simultaneous search of his Marsaskala property resulted in the seizure of various mobile phones and other electronic equipment.
9:45 Superintendent Vella tells the court that upon his arrest, Melvin Theuma insisted that a box he carried with him was "vital" and must be kept with him at all times. Police assured Theuma the box would be preserved and sealed in an evidence bag. During the process, Theuma requested legal assistance from specific Opposition politicians and lawyers - Simon Busuttil, Jason Azzopardi, and Karol Aquilina. Additionally, he requested to speak with an "Arnold" from the police force, which officers later concluded was a reference to investigator Keith Arnaud.
9:41 Superintendent Nicholas Vella testifies that Melvin Theuma was engaged in illegal betting operations at a site in Marsaskala, which he frequented weekly. When intelligence emerged that Theuma was planning to relocate his operations, police decided to move the arrest forward by a few days. Although police teams initially tracked Theuma to the Attard area, a team led by Keith Arnaud proceeded to his Marsaskala property while other officers tracked his movements toward Żurrieq. Police eventually intercepted and arrested Theuma at his residence in Żurrieq, subsequently conducting searches of his person, his vehicle, and his property.
9:23 Vella details his role in the money laundering investigation that ultimately led to Melvin Theuma's arrest, explaining that he spent nearly two months gathering intelligence on Theuma's financial patterns from local banks and the tax commissioner. He noted that the Malta Secret Service provided support throughout this process. Two weeks after the investigation concluded, Vella requested a magisterial inquiry, leading duty magistrate Gabriella Vella to appoint experts and issue arrest warrants for those under investigation. This process culminated in the arrest of Melvin Theuma on November 16, 2019.
9.09 The jurors have taken their seats in the hall. The first witness is Superintendent Nicholas Vella, who already started testifying on Wednesday.