The ex-partner of lawyer Margaret Mifsud, who was found dead in her car last week, will face charges for trying to strangle her last month - but the police still do not have enough evidence to arraign anyone for her death, sources have told The Times.

Dr Mifsud filed a police report after Nizar El Gadi, the father of her two children, attacked her. Police issued a citation with the charges and Mr El Gadi will appear in court over the next few months.

He is also being treated as a suspect in the death of the 31-year-old whose body was found at Baħar Ic-Ċagħaq on April 19.

Despite recent media reports that Mr El Gadi would be charged with her murder, sources said police were still investigating and did not have enough in hand to arraign him or anyone else at this stage. They said her death was being treated as “suspicious” even though the scene of the crime yielded no signs of foul play, substance abuse or self-harm. The police are also not ruling out that a third, unidentified person could have been involved.

An autopsy last Friday indicated she might not have died of natural causes as initially thought. The exact cause of death remains a mystery as the results were deemed to be inconclusive and the police are waiting for further test results.

Dr Mifsud was last seen on the night of Wednesday, April 18, when she gave a colleague a lift home after a party in Xemxija.

Her body was found the next day in her car in Baħar Iċ-Ċagħaq by the sea.