A Europol explosives expert detailed the devastating force of the bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, while other witnesses described a system of cash payments allegedly made to the families of the convicted hitmen, and bank officials testified about financial records involving middleman Melvin Theuma.

Fenech, 44, has pleaded not guilty to charges of complicity in the wilful homicide of Caruana Galizia and criminal association to commit the murder. Caruana Galizia, a columnist with The Malta Independent, was killed in a car bomb on 16 October, 2017.

The first witness was Mario Cmarec, a Europol explosives expert attached to the agency's anti-terrorism section, who testified via video link. Introducing himself as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist, Cmarec said he had investigated numerous major explosives cases during his career and had been assigned by Europol to assist the Maltese authorities following Caruana Galizia's assassination.

He explained that he arrived in Malta in November 2017, where he met the inquiring magistrate before carrying out an extensive forensic examination of the victim's vehicle and the physical evidence recovered from the crime scene.

Cmarec told jurors that his investigation focused on determining the type of explosion, the explosive material used, the location of the charge and the construction of the improvised explosive device.

He said investigators found a wide debris field surrounding the vehicle and observed damage indicating that a solid-phase explosive had detonated inside the car. According to the expert, the way the vehicle's metal panels had buckled and peeled outwards demonstrated that the explosion originated from within the vehicle itself.

To establish the precise location of the blast, investigators removed the driver's seat to examine the floor beneath it.

The expert said the explosive charge consisted of TNT combined with pyrotechnic material and weighed between 300 and 400 grammes.

He explained that the force of the explosion ripped a hole measuring approximately 90 by 90 centimetres through the metal floor beneath the driver's seat and concluded that the blast was more than sufficient to kill the driver instantly.

Cmarec also described the construction of the device, explaining that recovered metal fragments allowed investigators to reconstruct parts of the bomb. The device contained a metal plate, a container housing the explosive components, an initiator and an activation system.

The specialised casing served not only to secure the components but also to produce deadly fragmentation when the bomb exploded, he said.

Questioned further by prosecutor Godwin Cini, Cmarec explained how GSM relay controllers, commonly used to operate domestic appliances such as garage doors, can be adapted for use in improvised explosive devices.

He said such modules contain SIM cards and can receive SMS commands, which then activate an electrical circuit capable of initiating a detonator.

However, he added that because of the extensive damage caused by the blast, investigators were unable to link the recovered components to any known commercially manufactured explosive device.

Lawrence Pace, known as "il-Lolly", testified that he had known the hitmen, Vince Muscat, Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio, for many years, having grown up in Marsa.

Questioned about his police interrogation in 2019, Pace said investigators had also questioned him about Melvin Theuma.

The witness described a series of cash deliveries which took place after the three men had already been imprisoned.

He said that on three occasions Theuma gave him €300, which he passed to Joseph Brincat, known as "iż-Żikku". Brincat would then deliver the money to the prisoners' families before obtaining a receipt confirming delivery.

Those receipts would eventually be returned to Theuma as proof that the payments had been made.

Pace also recalled separate incidents before the arrests of the hitmen, when Vince Muscat asked him to accompany him to Siġġiewi.

There, Muscat handed him envelopes containing about €400 and instructed him to pass them to people arriving in another vehicle.

Pace said the occupants handed him a receipt, which he passed back to Muscat. He estimated that this exchange occurred two or three times before he decided he no longer wished to be involved.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer Giannella de Marco, Pace acknowledged that the events had taken place many years ago.

Asked about the receipts, he said he could not recall exactly what they contained and explained that he struggled with reading.

Joseph Brincat later corroborated much of Pace's testimony.

Brincat told the court he owned the White Stars shop in Marsa and knew Lawrence Pace as well as Mario Degiorgio.

He confirmed that he had passed money to Mario Degiorgio for distribution among Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat while they were in prison.

Brincat estimated the amount was between €200 and €300, with approximately €100 intended for each prisoner.

He said Mario Degiorgio would provide him with a receipt after visiting the three men in prison, and Brincat would then return that receipt to Lawrence Pace.

The prosecution then presented evidence from Stephen Baldacchino, a compliance officer at BNF Bank, who testified via video conference.

Baldacchino discussed compliance reports concerning Melvin Theuma's bank accounts and financial transactions, including payments involving Best Play Gaming Ltd, a gaming company linked to the Tumas Group.

He confirmed that Theuma had acknowledged receiving money from the company.

The witness also testified that following a garnishee order filed by the Caruana Galizia family against Theuma, Fenech, Vince Muscat and the Degiorgio brothers, the bank initiated additional compliance reporting because of Theuma's involvement in the case.

Graziella Attard then briefly testified that her involvement was limited to printing transcripts from recordings stored on a pen drive. She stressed that she had no knowledge of the contents of the recordings and had merely converted digital files into printed documents.

The final witness before the lunch break was Superintendent Rennie Stivala.

Stivala testified that in November 2019 he had been approached by then Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla to assist in an investigation known as "Daphne Leaks".

He said Abdilla instructed him to arrest Ryan Farrugia, the partner of Melvin Theuma's partner's daughter.

Following the arrest, police searched two properties linked to Farrugia and seized mobile phones, laptops, pen drives and more than €111,000 in cash, together with hundreds of euros in coins.

The afternoon sitting shifted away from substantive testimony and was dominated by procedural witnesses whose role was largely to authenticate reports, digital evidence and telephone records that are expected to feature later in the trial.

The evidence prompted Madam Justice Edwina Grima to express frustration with the pace of proceedings, warning the prosecution against allowing court time to be wasted.

The afternoon opened with testimony from police officer Alvin Cardona, whose evidence centred on documents and photographs connected to the investigation.

Cardona told the court he had been instructed to photocopy the widely circulated photograph showing state witness Melvin Theuma posing alongside former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri at Castille.

He also confirmed photocopying images of text messages that were displayed on monitors inside the courtroom. However, the contents of those messages were not visible to members of the media.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Charles Mercieca questioned Cardona about an audio file identified as "voice recording nine".

Prosecutor Godwin Cini objected, explaining that all relevant recordings would be played at a later stage of the proceedings through the appropriate witness.

Defence lawyer Giannella de Marco insisted that the recording should instead be played immediately so that Cardona could be questioned about it while on the witness stand.

"If they weren't relevant, they wouldn't be presented," De Marco argued.

The recording was ultimately not played after Cardona confirmed that he had never listened to any of the audio files and therefore could not verify whether the recording formed part of his report.

The prosecution then called Italian digital forensics expert Marco Tolli, who testified via video conference.

Tolli explained that his role in the investigation involved carrying out digital forensic examinations and data extractions.

He said he had prepared more than 30 forensic reports beginning on 11 October 2018, dealing with electronic devices seized during the murder investigation.

His testimony was followed by that of Marie Claire Tabone, who represented telecommunications company Melita Ltd in 2021.

Tabone testified that she had been asked by IT expert Martin Bajada and Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud to prepare call profiles relating to a particular mobile phone number.

Under cross-examination, she explained that call profiles consist of telephone calls, SMS messages and the cellular locations connected with a mobile device.

The afternoon's proceedings then briefly stalled after the prosecution informed the court that it had no further witnesses available for the day.

Madam Justice Grima rejected the suggestion that the sitting should end early, noting that six additional witnesses had already been scheduled.

She instructed the prosecution to find a way to bring those witnesses before the court rather than allow the afternoon sitting to be wasted.

When informed that no additional police officers were immediately available, the court was told that former Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and car dealer Edgar Brincat, described as a close associate of Melvin Theuma, are expected to testify during Saturday's sitting.

Madam Justice Grima issued a stern warning to the prosecution.

"This is the last time we are going to waste an afternoon," the judge said.

The prosecution subsequently proceeded by reading written depositions from witnesses.

One of these was architect Richard Aquilina, whose report described the layout of Melvin Theuma's residence in Marsa and inspections carried out on several Bank of Valletta safety deposit boxes belonging to Theuma.

According to the written testimony, one of the deposit boxes had to be forcibly opened but was found to be completely empty.

The architect also explained that he had prepared a detailed site plan of the Bidnija crime scene together with an inventory of a potato shed in Marsa connected to the investigation.

His report divided the crime scene into 28 search sectors and concluded that the bomb detonated at the precise moment Daphne Caruana Galizia was driving out of Bidnija.

The prosecution also read into evidence the written testimony of Charmaine Zammit, who represented Epic plc.

Her statement, dated 5 April 2021, concerned a request made by Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud for telecommunications data linked to a particular mobile phone number.

According to the report, the number was registered to former Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and had remained active since it was first registered in 2002.

With no further evidence to present, court proceedings concluded earlier than expected.

Friday's sitting marked a noticeable contrast with the dramatic testimony heard earlier this week from the Degiorgio brothers. Instead of hearing fresh allegations or detailed factual accounts, jurors spent much of the day listening to witnesses formally authenticate reports, bank records, digital extractions, photographs and telecommunications data that are expected to form part of the prosecution's wider evidential case as the trial progresses.

A minute-by minute account of today's sitting may be found here