Lilu King gets bail after nine months

Mohammed Elmushraty, the big-spending Libyan influencer and former boxer whose unexplained lavish lifestyle was placed under the spotlight last year in criminal proceedings, has been granted bail after spending over nine months in preventive custody.

Elmushraty, better known by his nickname “Lilu King” was charged with money laundering, tax evasion and participation in organised crime, as well as breaching bail conditions and driving without a licence in May 2023, with a further charge of drug trafficking being added in January this year.

He had been remanded in custody, primarily on the grounds that he was a flight risk due to his ties overseas and the fear of him suborning civilian witnesses.

The four civilian witnesses in question were produced for the first time, in a sitting before magistrate Leonard Caruana held last Friday. They declared to the court that they did not wish to testify as they were themselves the subjects of separate, ongoing, criminal proceedings.

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After that, Elmushraty’s lawyers, Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri and Jose Herrera made lengthy submissions on his latest bail request, with the court adjourning the case for a decree on the matter.

That decree was issued earlier on Monday, releasing Elmushraty from arrest on several conditions, including that he observes a curfew between 9pm to 7am and sign a bail book every day.

His bail was secured by a €30,000 deposit and a €40,000 personal guarantee, as well as another €10,000 put up by a third-party surety.

The Attorney General is understood to be likely to file an appeal against Elmushraty’s release from arrest.