Updated | Lead suspect and accomplice in Mario Farrugia murder already facing attempted homicide charges

Updated at 8:35pm

The lead suspect in the murder of 62-year-old Mario Farrugia, found dead in the trunk of his car, is already facing attempted murder charges from two years ago.

It is being reported that Elliot Paul Busuttil is one of the four people arrested in connection with the murder. In 2020 Busuttil was charged with attempting to murder a man and steal his money in Ta’ Qali.

He had been accused of stabbing a 57-year-old Bulgarian man, found in Ta’ Qali lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

Another man, Ramzi Abdulhafid Ib Abukem, was arrested in connection to the murder. In 2018 he was charged with the murder of Mahmoud Elmejdi in Ħamrun, while in 2017 he was accused of committing aggravated theft while caught in possession of cocaine. 

In 2019 Ib Abukem faced two separate arraignments in the same month. He was first accused of robbing a family and being in possession of an illegal firearm. He was granted bail on 7 August, and eventually arrested on 19 August for robbing an elderly woman at knifepoint together with two other persons.

Two women have also been arrested in connection with the murder of Mario Farrugia, the police said on Thursday. The arrests were made on Wednesday evening after police raids on three properties.

The police said that forensic evidence led to the arrest of four individuals. Searches were made in properties in Attard, Msida and Mosta. One man was arrested in Attard, a man and a woman in Msida and another woman in Mosta.

The arrested individuals are Maltese and foreigners.

Mario Farrugia (left) was found murdered inside the trunk of his Peugeot 407 (right), which was found in Qormi valley

The four suspects are being held at the Floriana Headquarters, where they will be interrogated.

Farrugia was last seen on 28 March in the vicinity of his Pembroke home. A police missing person’s report had also indicated that the man was using a grey Peugeot 407.

The car was found on 5 April in a valley in Qormi, and Farrugia’s heavily decomposed body was found in the trunk. The body had to be identified through DNA tests.

An autopsy found that Farrugia sustained multiple stab wounds to the chest.

Sources had told MaltaToday that the area where the car was found is a notorious hotspot for drug trafficking, and Farrugia was often seen in the area, sometimes soliciting small change from shop owners and asking to use their phone.