Alleged usury victim in compilation of evidence on Imniehru double-murder

Jason Galea, 39, of Birzebbugia, together with George Galea, 41, of St Julian's, will today face charges of killing convicted drug baron Mario Camilleri, 51, known as l-Imniehru, and his son Mario Camilleri Jr, aged 21.

Police sources claim that the accused had admitted during interrogation murdering the Camilleris. The notorious drug trafficker and his son were reported missing on Wednesday 24 July by Mona Camilleri - Imniehru's wife, mother of their 21-year-old son and sister of Jason Galea.

During the course of the investigation, Galea alleged that Camilleri Sr was demanding money from him, sources close to the police told MaltaToday. It is claimed that Galea had been using funds owned by Special Cleaners Ltd to pay off debts he had accumulated with Matthew Zahra and the Camilleri family. (The Camilleris and Jason Galea owned Special Cleaners Ltd.)

The accused led investigators to believe that he eliminated both father and son, as they were tightening his financial noose.

The Camilleri widow, Mona, told sister newspaper Illum that her husband had been suspicious of Galea for some time. A family dog which had been with the Camilleris for 11 years had mysteriously disappeared a week before the murder. The accused owed the family tens of thousands in debt.

The accused's sister alleged Jason had persuaded her husband to go to the Qajjenza field where he claimed he had seen someone burying gold and money. "My brother wanted to kill us all and tell everyone that we emigrated. He wanted all of us to meet him at the field at 4am. When we didn't accept, we decided to go the next day, at 9am. Mario went on the spot, but then he changed his mind and turned away," Mona told Illum.

On the day of the murder, her son Mario rode off in a vehicle belonging to the man whom Galea claimed he had seen bury some money in the Qajjenza field.

Following the father-son disappearances, a senior police officer explained how Mario Camilleri Sr was last seen at 11am at the St Julian's police station. He was there to sign the bail book. At the time, he was driving his dark grey Volkswagen Passat. Camilleri Sr had just been released from prison after serving over 12 years on drug trafficking and bribery charges. His son was last seen as he entered a vehicle at around noon on the same day.

The Volkswagen was later discovered in Għaxaq, while a burnt Peugeot Partner van was discovered in Zabbar. Police suspected the van to be linked with the disappearance of the Camilleris.

Assistant Commissioner Pierre Calleja from the Criminal Investigation Department took over the investigation, which led to the arrest of a number of suspects, including Jason Galea. The vice squad and district police helped in the investigation. On Thursday the police were led to a field in Qajjenza, where two bodies, later identified as those of the missing men, were found. The bodies had been buried recently.

The first post-mortems carried out on the bodies showed that the youth had over 34 stab wounds and a gunshot wound, while the father had suffered a shot to the side of the head. Investigators believed the two were killed on the day they were reported missing.

Yesterday week, the body of Mario Camilleri Sr was exhumed after investigators and medical examiners disagreed on the cause of his death. In the afternoon, sources claimed a heart attack was what led to the victim's death. Medical experts argued the gunshot had only grazed the victim's head.

Camilleri Sr had been previously jailed for 16 years for drug trafficking. On appeal, the sentence was reduced to four years, leading to Chief Justice Noel Arrigo and Judge Patrick Vella being convicted of accepting bribes to reduce the sentence. In 2007 he was again arraigned in connection with trafficking and was awaiting trial.

In 2006, Camilleri made news when he threatened two Labour MPs after they took a stand against a scandalous contract awarded to Special Cleaners Ltd, a company owned by Camilleri's wife and another son. The inmate's relative had been awarded the cleaning services at the law courts.

Mario Jr had been known to the police since he turned 16 years of age. In the past four years, he faced charges of assault and unlawful possession of weapons, including a firearm.

Last Monday, police evidence revealed how the same Jason Galea, with the help of Ronald Urry, had killed taxi driver Mathew Zahra. Urry is George Galea's half-brother. During the sitting, Inspector Chris Pullicino exposed the reason for the murder as being usury. Jason Galea claimed Zahra had lent him €6,000 but demanded €500,000 as payback. The huge debts led Jason Galea to conspire with Urry to murder the moneylender.

Galea and Urry were arraigned in court after forensic experts unearthed the remains of a foot belonging to a third person while digging at the site were the Camilleri corpses were found. Investigators suspected the foot belonged to Matthew Zahra, who had been reported missing in August last year. Subsequently, Galea admitted to the police that he had killed Zahra.