Thieves 'planned to destroy Caravaggio'

The alleged robbers of a priceless painting attributed to Caravaggio were planning to destroy it or throw it away when they realised the police were on their trail, a court heard yesterday.

The revelation was made by Police Inspector Michael Mallia when testifying in the case of Joseph Portelli, 32, of Birkirkara, one of two persons charged so far with the theft of works of art from Judge Giovanni Bonello's residence in Valletta last month.

Inspector Mallia gave a detailed account of how investigations evolved following instructions he received to carry out a search at a residence called Sweet Dreams, in Canon Pirotta Street, Birkirkara, where the accused lived.

The police went to the house at 7 p.m. on April 26 but no one opened the door. He left instructions for the house to be kept under surveillance and subsequently found out that the accused also possessed two garages, which formed part of a complex underlying the house.

Portelli arrived at about 2 a.m. on April 27 as the police kept watch on the house. The following morning they started their search.

Inspector Mallia said that when Portelli was arrested, he initially denied knowledge of the paintings. However, when the works of art were found in one of his garages he led the police to the Caravaggio, which had been stored in a pink bed sheet in a space under a bed and he told them what he knew about the theft.

Portelli denied stealing them but told the police his brother Dennis, Charles Falzon and Ian Farrugia were involved. Farrugia is currently remanded in custody and is facing charges similar to Portelli's.

Portelli said he learnt that the police were looking for him, and his brother and Falzon also got to know. They met Farrugia at a flat in Bugibba where they decided that if the police were no longer keeping watch on the house they would remove the painting attributed to Caravaggio and destroy it or throw it away somewhere to get rid of incriminating evidence.

The witness said several attempts were made by Portelli to return home that night and then leave again but when he realised the police were still there he decided to go home just the same.

Falzon and Farrugia told Portelli to destroy his mobile phone so that the police would be unable to trace any calls he had made. Portelli subsequently took the police to the spot where he had thrown the phone in a field near the Birkirkara bypass and the phone was yesterday exhibited in court.

The police inspector said the police carried out a meticulous search at the accused's house but after failing to find anything they decided to search the garages. In one of them they noticed that a wall at the back had a different level of tar than the rest of the walls. When compared to other garages, the garage was also some two feet narrower.

As the wall sounded hollow, two bricks were removed and in the space between the two walls the police found the paintings that had been stolen from Judge Bonello's house.

The accused then led them to his home and showed them where the Caravaggio painting, entitled Giovannino al fonte, was hidden.

The witness said the accused told him that in January his brother had asked him to lend him a key to one of his garages and later asked him for a jack used in construction works.

Portelli told the police his brother had later shown him the paintings hidden in the garage and said he had asked him to get rid of them as he did not want to get into trouble. But his brother replied that there would be no trouble unless he spoke up. His brother also allegedly told him that the paintings would soon be removed by Farrugia and Falzon.

The case continues.

Inspectors Carmelo Bartolo and Charles Magri prosecuted.

Dr Ian Farrugia appeared for Portelli.