A prison phone call suggesting that Keith Pace had instructed a witness to lie about a proposed employment arrangement was played in court on Tuesday.

The recorded conversation suggested that Pace intended to pretend to work at the snack bar while carrying out different work, prompting his defence to withdraw its bail request and the court to order an investigation into the man who had offered him employment and agreed to act as a guarantor for €5,000.

Pace is among several family members facing charges of alleged usury and money laundering. The court had previously rejected a third bail request, citing the seriousness of the charges and concerns over possible evidence tampering.

During Tuesday's sitting, Marion Attard testified that he was willing to employ Pace at Barun Snack Bar and act as a guarantor for the sum of €5,000.

Attard told the court that Pace would work from 7am until 3pm, earning the minimum wage. He also confirmed that he would register Pace's employment with Jobsplus.

When asked whether he understood the implications of acting as a guarantor, Attard confirmed that he did.

He explained that he was willing to offer Pace employment because they had known each other since childhood and had grown up together. He said he wanted to help Pace out of respect for their friendship.

Attard's testimony was temporarily suspended to allow another witness to testify.

Prison guard Owen Carter subsequently took the witness stand and presented evidence relating to three telephone calls.

Carter explained that his role involved extracting telephone communications and that he could identify the telephone numbers involved, although he could not personally identify the individuals speaking.

He referred to two calls made from prison by Pace on 5 October 2026 to the same telephone number, followed by another call on 6 October.

A recording lasting approximately one minute, relating to the 6 October call, was played in court.

During the conversation between Pace and Attard, the proposed employment and the €5,000 guarantee were discussed.

However, the conversation suggested that the proposed employment was merely a pretence, with Pace indicating that he would only appear to be working at the snack bar while actually carrying out different work.

Following the playing of the recording, the defence withdrew its bail request.

The court also ordered an investigation into Attard in connection with the proposed employment arrangement.

The prosecution is being led by Inspector Lianne Bonello, assisted by lawyers Neville Galea and Michael Muscat on behalf of the Attorney General. Defence lawyers Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Adreana Zammit are representing the accused, while Arthur Azzopardi and Jacob Magri are appearing for the older members of the family.

Magistrate Lara Lanfranco is presiding over the case.