Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1373323
9 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 MAY 2021 Julian Manduca (1958-2005) In memory of A pioneering environmentalist, a unique journalist, mentor to many at MaltaToday, his spirit lives on by the force of his words and deeds NICOLE MEILAK A police sergeant overheard Carmel Chircop on the phone with someone asking about debt pay- ments days before the lawyer's assassination, the court heard on Tuesday. The sergeant, Emanuel Scicluna, told the court that he had seen Chircop one Saturday afternoon in October 2015, and overheard him speaking to someone on the phone. Scicluna said Chircop appeared angry. The lawyer was heard saying "when are you going to give me those payments?". The person on the other side of the call was not mentioned in court. However, one of the accused, namely Adrian Agius, owed Chircop €600,000 at the time of the murder. The sergeant knew Chircop personally, as the latter had been president of a band club. Be- yond this, Chircop enjoyed extensive commu- nity bonds and other business relationships. Carmel Chircop, 51, was killed in the morning of 8 October 2015 as he walked to the Birkir- kara garage complex, where he died from four gunshot wounds to his upper body. Several other eyewitnesses appeared in court to testify on the Daphne Caruana Galizia mur- der. Many of the eyewitnesses recalled going on site and seeing a burnt car, scattered body parts, and car pieces around the area. One AFM representative explained how there had been a crater in the road at a distance from the car. This fact together with the appearance of the car on sight indicated that all this was the result of a car bomb. That same representative had gone on site on the day of the explosion, and a few days later with a Dutch investigation team. The crime scene was separated into three areas, with of- ficials looking for bomb components and frag- ments from the blast. Another AFM sergeant recalled seeing a per- son underneath the dashboard of the car on site, by the passenger-side of the car. One member of the Civil Protection Department said he saw a leg somewhere on site. All this was heard during the compilation of evidence against Adrian Agius, his brother Robert Agius, and their associates Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio on Tuesday morning. The Aguis brothers are facing charges of in- volvement in two murders, including that of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Robert Agius and Jamie Vella are charged with supplying the bomb that killed Daphne Carua- na Galizia in October 2017. Adrian Agius is charged with commissioning the murder of Carmel Chircop in 2015. Vel- la and Degiorgio are charged with executing Chircop's assassination in the garage complex in Birkirkara. Degiorgio is currently undergoing separate procedures for his involvement in the Caruana Galizia murder. Key courtroom players • Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo is presiding. • Lawyers Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin are defence counsel to the Agius brothers. Lawyer William Cuschieri is appearing for George Degiorgio. • Lawyer George Camilleri is representing the Attorney General in the proceedings, while Superintendent Keith Arnaud and Inspectors Shawn Pawney and Wayne Camilleri are prosecuting. • Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are appearing parte civile for the Caruana Galizia family, while lawyer Vince Galea is appearing for the Chircop family. Sergeant tells Court he overheard Carmel Chircop complaining about debt payments State recycling agency rebranded to Circular Economy Malta THE agency previously known as the Resource Recovery and Recycling Agency is being re- named to Circular Economy Malta (CEMalta) to promote the continual use of resources. Environment Minister Aar- on Farrugia said that CEMalta will strive to align Malta to the principles of Extended Pro- ducer Responsibility, a policy approach in which producers assume responsibility for man- aging the disposal of products they produce once those prod- ucts ae no longer useful by con- sumers. "Through this effort we will reduce the pressure on the nat- ural environment around us, we will improve the security of our resources and we will see our country become more competitive and more resil- ient," the Minister said. CEMalta will be working on a number of projects and ini- tiatives, including the beverage container refund scheme, end- of-life waste tyres, construc- tion waste, food waste, and tex- tile waste. The minister said that a num- ber of reverse vending ma- chines are set to be distribut- ed across the Maltese islands, allowing consumers to famil- iarise themselves with the CE- Malta-administered Beverage Container Refund Scheme. Farrugia added that food waste is another stream that needs to be addressed. "Through the diversion of such waste streams from end- ing up in landfills, they could easily be used for the benefit of society in general. To this end, the Agency together with the Ministry shall be supporting the utilisation of digital chan- nels and applications for food redistribution initiatives and food sharing initiatives with- in communities," the minister said. Environment Minister Aaron Farrugia