Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1394633
5 NEWS maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 21 JULY 2021 Melvin Theuma tells Court he rented Mosta flat to 2010 HSBC heist gang MATTHEW AGIUS MELVIN Theuma has told a court that he had rented a flat to one of the men accused of carrying out the failed HSBC headquarters heist in 2010 as the compilation of evidence reo- pened yesterday morning. Theuma testified in front of Magistrate Monica Vella in the compilation of evidence against Vince Muscat, il-Koħħu, and Darren Debono, it-Topo (not the footballer). Theuma said that around the time of the Isle of MTV concert that was held on the Granaries in Floriana, Debono had asked him whether he had an apartment to rent. "I rented a flat to him in Mosta for a month. It was in summer and the price was €300. Darren Debono paid for it," Theuma said, adding he could not recall whether Debono was accompa- nied by Alfred Degiorgio, known as il-Fulu. The HSBC heist was carried out on the same evening in June 2010 when the Isle of MTV con- cert was happening in Floriana. Theuma testified that on the day of the concert, he had been eating with his family and re- ceived a phone call from Debono. "I went to my Mosta flat. As you go in on the left there is a bed- room. I found Darren Debono on the bed in his underpants, he had blood on his thigh. They told me that the police had shot him," Theuma told the court. The witness said that Alfred Degiorgio had asked him to help treat Debono. "I said alright and left the flat and drove away. There were police in the vicini- ty," Theuma said. Earlier, Theuma testified brief- ly in the compilation of evidence against Vince Muscat, insisting that he did not discuss the HS- BC holdup with him. Theuma said he had known Muscat snce childhood and they discussed gambling. Muscat, Debono and Fabio Psaila had been charged with the 2010 heist that ended in a firefight with police. The failed holdup had been part of a series of high profile heists carried out during that period, which in- cluded a €1 million haul of cash from the HSBC Balzan branch and an undisclosed amount from the Casino di Venezia. Theuma's testimony in these cases is one of the conditions in- cluded in his presidential pardon to tell all on the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder and other cases. Theuma was granted a pardon in 2019 and his testimony was cru- cial to lead police to the alleged Caruana Galizia murder master- mind Yorgen Fenech. Fenech has pleaded not guilty and the compilation of evidence against him is ongoing. Vince Muscat, along with Al- fred Degiorgio and George De- giorgio, had been charged with carrying out the Caruana Galizia murder. Earlier this year Mus- cat pleaded guilty and was sen- tenced to 15 years in jail after a plea bargain agreement. The case against the Degiorgi- os is ongoing. 'I found Darren Debono, it-Topo, on the bed with blood on his thigh' Pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma (blue mask) is testifying on what he knows about the holdups on two HSBC branches and the Casino di Venezia CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The code will be sent after the two-week period from the second dose has lapsed. Walk-in vaccination clinics started operating this week in different locations across Malta and Gozo, allowing for foreigners living in the coun- try to get the jab. People making use of these clinics need to take with them identification docu- ments and proof that they are living in Malta, such as rental agreements, work contracts and study arrangements. A number of individuals without a residency permit or an ID card living in Malta reached out to this newspa- per expressing concern over the fact that they would not be in a position to download the vaccine certificate once they complete the inocula- tion course. The situation also impacts the children be- tween 12 and 15 of parents with a residence permit. "This does not make sense. I got the vaccine with my Eu- ropean ID, as a vulnerable person, because I am living in Malta, but now I cannot go home for holidays even if I am fully vaccinated," one reader said. MaltaToday called the 145 vaccine helpline and posed as a foreigner to ask for guid- ance on the matter. The person who answered the call confirmed that as things stand today, non-res- idents living in Malta are not able to download their vac- cine certificate after getting the jab. "You can't download it from anywhere," she said. "There currently is no online portal from where the vaccine cer- tificate can be downloaded." On Monday, hundreds queued up at the mobile vaccine clinic at the Mosta Technopark and the Gate- way Building at the Univer- sity of Malta to get the jab. Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne tweeted that 2,461 doses were administered on the day. Today, the mobile clinic will be located in Zejtun, and St Julian's on Friday 23 July. On Monday, 728,106 vac- cine doses were adminis- tered, of which 386,328 were a first dose. 359,042 people are fully vaccinated. "You can't download it from anywhere"