Lorin Scicluna told police that his friend Francesco Fenech was the person who shot Lassane Cisse dead, breaking down in tears during questioning before eventually naming him, a jury heard on Saturday.

Scicluna, a former soldier, is facing nine charges connected to the murder of Cisse, a 42-year-old worker from the Ivory Coast who was shot dead while walking home at night in Birżebbuġa on April 6, 2019.

He is pleading not guilty to his involvement in the killing. Fenech is being charged separately in connection with the murder.

Jeffrey Gerada, who was stationed at the police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the time, testified about the investigation and the circumstances in which Scicluna eventually identified his friend as the person who had fired the fatal shots.

Scicluna came under investigation after police identified a white Toyota Starlet seen leaving the crime scene. The vehicle was registered in his name.

During his interrogation, Scicluna took investigators to several locations he mentioned while being questioned.

Gerada told the jury that Scicluna was visibly nervous from the outset.

The first stop was a pastizzi shop in Attard, where Scicluna worked part-time. He told police that he had lent his car to a Libyan man whom he had met at the shop.

Scicluna subsequently took investigators to Ġnien Lorry Sant in Paola, claiming that he had met the same man there.

However, police officers became increasingly unconvinced by his account.

Gerada testified that Scicluna eventually broke down crying, repeatedly insisting that he had not fired the gun.

"He kept insisting that he didn't shoot. I asked him, so who fired? Your friend? And he started crying," Gerada told the jury.

The officer said he urged Scicluna to tell the truth. 

Scicluna then took police to an area in Delimara, where he claimed to have disposed of the ammunition by throwing it into the sea.

According to Gerada, Scicluna remained extremely emotional throughout this part of the exercise, practically crying on the officer while insisting that he was not the person who had pulled the trigger.

Police later accompanied him back to the police depot, where they again asked him to identify the person responsible for the shooting.

Initially, Scicluna refused to name anyone. Instead, he told investigators that he was prepared to shoulder all the blame and go to prison.

He eventually named Fenech, telling police that it was his friend who had shot Cisse.

Gerada said Scicluna appeared calmer after making the statement.

The information enabled investigators to arrest Fenech at his home in Marsascala.

The jury also heard evidence from several other police officers involved in the investigation.

Police Sergeant Caroline Camilleri presented information concerning Scicluna's firearm licences. The former soldier had five weapons registered in his name, comprising one rifle and four pistols.

Police Sergeant Brady Zammit testified about his analysis of CCTV footage collected from cameras in the vicinity of the crime scene. Among the recordings examined was footage showing a white Toyota Starlet passing through the area.

Police Constable Sven Sammut, who joined the investigation at a later stage, also helped collect footage from surveillance cameras.

He told the jury that a comparison of recordings made before and after the murder indicated that the vehicle had undergone slight modifications. Stickers had been added to the rear windscreen, while black tape had been applied to the sides.

As Scicluna was working at the Ħal Safi Barracks at the time, Sammut and another officer were instructed to discreetly visit the premises and check whether they could see the vehicle from outside. They were unable to locate it during that visit.

Following Scicluna's arrest, police searched his car and seized the keys to his garage and home. Officers also established a fixed observation point near the vehicle.

During a subsequent search of Scicluna's home, investigators found black tape and stickers believed to have been used to alter the car's appearance.

Motor vehicle consultant Natalino Agius also testified after being appointed by the court to inspect the Toyota Starlet, which had been impounded by police, and prepare a report on its condition.

Agius identified several differences and defects in the vehicle.

He found that the side mirrors were of different makes and that the grille was broken on the left passenger side. The windscreen was also different from the original model.

The consultant told the jury that the windscreen had not been fitted properly and that the rubber seal around it was defective.

He also reported damage to the left side of the bonnet and differences between the vehicle's left and right headlights.