Defence lawyer Edward Gatt has urged jurors in the trial of Lorin Scicluna, accused of killing Lassana Cisse, to disregard allegations and criticism directed at jurors who served in the separate trial of Yorgen Fenech.

Delivering his closing arguments on Thursday morning, Gatt reminded the jury that Scicluna must be presumed innocent and called on its members to set aside any prejudice or fear arising from the timing of the proceedings.

Referring to recent controversy surrounding the Fenech trial, Gatt questioned the message being sent to jurors by allegations that some members of previous juries had failed to perform their duties properly.

"What message are we sending out there? Does this mean, 'are we going to make it difficult to find an acquittal?'" he asked.

Gatt described the allegations and public discussion surrounding other juries as gossip, insisting that they must not influence the jury's assessment of the evidence against Scicluna.

"I insist that you do not allow anyone or anything to influence your decision," he told the jurors.

Scicluna is accused of shooting dead Lassana Cisse, an Ivorian man who was walking along a road in Ħal Far, and shooting and injuring two other men, Ibrahim Bah and Mohammed Jallow, on the night of April 6. He is also charged with injuring May Malimi in a hit-and-run incident on the same road two months earlier.

He denies all nine charges and, if convicted, could face life imprisonment.

Turning to the prosecution's case, Gatt argued that the allegations had repeatedly been framed around the claim that "they shot", insisting that the evidence pointed to Francesco Fenech as the person who fired the shots.

"Let us not allow the weakness of the Attorney General's allegation to sway you. It was Francesco Fenech who fired the shot," the lawyer maintained.

Fenech is due to face separate legal proceedings over the same crimes.

Gatt also argued that Scicluna's decision not to speak during police questioning should not be held against him, urging jurors to base their verdict exclusively on the evidence and facts presented in court.

The lawyer described his client's behaviour as ignorance rather than stupidity and criticised the prosecution's questioning during cross-examination, arguing that prosecutors had struggled to establish their case.

The defence began its closing arguments a day after Scicluna took the witness stand to give his account of the events.

Scicluna testified that Fenech, his friend and fellow soldier, was driving the car when it veered towards Malimi during the earlier hit-and-run incident. He claimed that he had been adjusting the car radio at the time.

He also maintained that Fenech was responsible for shooting Cisse, Bah and Jallow. According to Scicluna, the pair had initially intended to shoot stray cats in the area, but Fenech acted independently of their original plan.

The trial is being presided over by Judge Natasha Galea Sciberras.