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NEWS 5 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 2 NOVEMBER 2022 Videos on Qormi murder suspect's phone showed him wearing same clothes seen in CCTV footage Eliott Paul Busuttil, 38, accused of murder of 62-year- old chauffeur Mario Farrugia, whose heavily decomposed body was discovered inside his own car in Qormi MATTHEW AGIUS ELIOTT Paul Busuttil was all smiles as he walked into Magis- trate Astrid May Grima's court- room before the compilation of evidence against him continued on Tuesday. Several court experts exhibited their reports during the sitting. Busuttil, 38, is accused of the murder of 62-year-old chauf- feur Mario Farrugia. Farrugia's heavily decomposed body was discovered inside the trunk of his own car in a Qormi valley on 5 April this year. Several police officers from different departments testified, including a sergeant from the homicide squad who told the court how, after the discovery of Farrugia's body, Busuttil had become a suspect after he was identified from CCTV footage. During a previous sitting, the court had heard how police had collected footage from 36 cam- eras located in Attard, Marsa and Qormi which had then been used to create a timeline of the route taken by a suspicious car, which was later found to belong to the accused. Busuttil was recognised from the footage and was soon arrest- ed at his Attard residence, said the sergeant. The flat was also searched, with several pocket knives being seized as evidence, together with a single round of 9mm ammunition and a num- ber of mobile phones. The officer exhibited a report on the data extracted from the mobile phones by a court expert. A video found on one of those phones showed the accused wearing some items of clothing which he had also been seen wearing in the CCTV footage, he added. Scene of Crime Officers also testified, giving an account of how they had documented the crime scene and the searches at the Attard flat. DNA samples and photographs were taken at the property and chemical tests were also carried out to detect the presence of blood. Three officers from the police's forensic science labora- tory had carried out the chemi- cal tests, swabbing the scene for traces of blood. They exhibited a report on their findings to the court. A senior manager at Transport Malta also took the stand, giv- ing evidence about the records relating to the vehicle in which the body was found. The grey Peugeot 407 did not have a taxi licence but did have a permit for use as a chauffeur-driven car, registered to Mario Farru- gia. That permit expired in July 2022, said the witness. Last to testify was a LESA of- ficial who exhibited two photo- graphs taken by a speed camera in Triq Nutar Zarb in Attard. The black and white photo- graphs had been taken during the early hours of 29 March 2022 and showed the victim's Peugeot 407, the court was told. At the end of the sitting, the court sent the acts of the case to- gether with the newly compiled evidence to the AG. The case will continue in De- cember. Inspector Wayne Camilleri is prosecuting, assisted by Prose- cutors Maria Schembri and Kay- leigh Bonnett from the Office of the Attorney General. Lawyer Shawn Zammit repre- sented the accused during this sitting. Lawyer Jacob Magri appeared for the family of the victim. Kalkara residents oppose green area development Eliott Paul Busuttil was charged with murdering Mario Farrugia in April 2022 JAMES DEBONO KALKARA residents living close to a green area ear- marked for development have expressed concern over the impact excavation works could have on the stability of their houses. The 22 residents are also con- cerned that the development of 88 apartments and 93 garages on the 6,200sq.m site will in- crease the risk of flooding in the surrounding areas. The concerns were listed in an objection filed with the Planning Authority by archi- tect William Lewis, who is rep- resenting the residents of Triq il-Progress. "There is a risk that during excavation works, which is ex- cessive for the area, there will be severe movement which can create structural problems to the surrounding buildings as well as to the nearby bastions," Lewis warned. The green area was contro- versially included in develop- ment zones in 2002 despite protests by residents then led by Fr Mark Montebello, a Do- minican priest. An application by Lawrence Fino to develop 88 apartments on the site was approved in 2012 despite opposition by the local council, and renewed in 2017. The permit was renewed with the condition that neighbour- ing properties are surveyed be- fore commencement of works. The latest application seeks to renew the previous permit set to expire in January 2023, for another five years. Lewis also warned that the hard surfacing of an area, presently covered by soil will increase runoff. Further- more, the path of the water will change and increase other flooding points to those that already exist. The problem was partly ad- dressed through a storm water management system when the original permit was issued in 2012, which has still to be im- plemented by Infrastructure Malta. Moreover, the wastewater in- frastructure in Kalkara was not designed to cater for the devel- opment that is being proposed for this area, the architect said. The objection letter also warned that the project will de- stroy one of the few green areas in the centre of Kalkara, effec- tively destroying centenarian carob trees as well as "a whole array of flora and fauna". In their objection the resi- dents have called on the Plan- ning Authority to assess the application according to the objectives set by the Strategic Plan for the Environment and Development (SPED), which was approved after the approv- al of the original application. Renewal applications still have to be assessed on the ba- sis of policies enacted after the original approval. The SPED refers to the need to "protect green open spac- es which contribute towards the character and amenity of urban areas" through the "re- duction of soil sealing and (by) supporting biodiversity." It also refers to the need of "ecological corridors" in urban areas. The PA's Design Advisory Committee has concluded that it is "not averse" to the design of the project.