Threatening messages recorded on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s mobile phone are to be identified by a retired judge and handed over to the court, a magistrate orderd on Friday.
The decision was taken during a session in the compilation of evidence against brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat, the three suspects currently accused of having murdered the journalist using a car bomb outside her Bidnija home on October 16, 2017.
Mr Justice Michael Mallia will analyse mobile phone messages on Ms Caruana Galizia’s phone and identify any which amounted to threats. He will do this without disclosing the messages’ sources, the court, presided over by magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit, said.
Both the defence and prosecution agreed to having the retired judge undertake this task.
Assessing Ms Caruana Galizia’s mobile phone was first raised by defence lawyers earlier on in proceedings, with the prosecution suggesting that an expert, ideally a retired member of the bench well-versed in criminal law, should be appointed to handle the task.
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