A man who has been in custody over charges of having murdered his estranged wife and later hid her lifeless body inside a Qormi warehouse since July has been denied a second request for bail.
Andrew Mangion, currently facing proceedings over the murder of Eleanor Mangion Walker, has been under preventive custody for the past 10 months while the prosecution proceeds with the compilation of evidence. A request for bail lodged last March was turned down by the Magistrate's Court, prompting the defence to file a second request before the superior courts.
During last Tuesday's hearing lawyer, Giannella Busuttil from the office of the Attorney General observed that the prosecution had so far compiled "10 volumes of evidence" related to the case and was doing its best to issue the bill of indictment before the lapse of 20 months.
The prosecuting lawyer stressed that Mr Walker stood charged with three very serious crimes. Not only did he allegedly murder his wife but he also did his utmost to cover up the traces of his crime and even hid his wife's body. The man had planned it all, Dr Busuttil pointed out.
However, defence lawyer Joseph Giglio argued that release from arrest is the norm rather than the exception. Moreover, at this stage, his client was still presumed innocent. The prosecution's allegations were being taken as a state of fact.
The defence pointed out that the various crime scenes had been preserved and all the necessary evidence collected. The only civilian witnesses still to testify were the victim's brother and Kristjan Zekic, the man who had allegedly helped Mr Mangion to cover up the traces of the crime. Mr Zekic, who operated under a false identity, was currently in prison on separate criminal proceedings.
The defence further argued that Mr Mangion's uncle had offered to take his nephew into his home. His client also had strong ties with his employer's family which gave him added stability in life. He also had a daughter, the defence lawyer observed.
The criminal court, presided over by Mr Justice Antonio Mizzi, delivered a decree in chambers whereby it turned down the request for bail. The court observed that one prosecution witness was still to testify.
“In the opinion of the court, the behaviour of the accused is such as not to give it reason to believe, at least to date, that he would not go into hiding or leave Malta," the court concluded, denying the request for bail.