Bill of indictment against Daniel Muka issued on Friday

A bill of indictment against Daniel Muka was issued on Friday afternoon, putting paid to his chances of being automatically released on bail.

Daniel Muka, a 27-year-old Albanian, is indicted over the murder of Christian Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejowski, who were both shot dead in August 2020 at their home in Locker street, Sliema in what investigators suspect was a botched burglary.

Muka and two other men who are facing separate criminal proceedings, Jesper Kristiansen and Viktor Dragomanski, are thought to have initially intended to rob the victims but, for reasons which are as yet unclear, ended up shooting them dead.

Dragomanski’s arrest in August 2020 came just days after Muka’s. Kristiansen was extradited to Malta from Spain later that month.

Prosecutors were racing against the clock to finalise Muka’s indictment before the lapse of 20 months from his arraignment, which would have made him eligible for automatic release on bail. The 20-month time limit would have been reached next week.

Under Maltese law, when a suspect is charged with a crime punishable with a sentence of imprisonment of over nine years, the prosecution must file a bill of indictment within 20 months, in the absence of which the person accused must be released on bail.

Once the bill of indictment is filed, the law grants prosecutors another 30 months before the trial has to take place.

A disagreement between lawyers, earlier this month, as to who is to defend the Albanian had led to fears that Muka would not be indicted in time.  The dispute arose during a recent sitting in Muka’s compilation of evidence, after he attempted to engage a second defence lawyer without having paid his original lawyer.

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