A magistrate has postponed to next week a decision on whether to accept Italy’s request to extradite a Mafia boss wanted for murder.
Magistrate Aaron Bugeja yesterday heard final submissions in the extradition proceedings of Sebastiano Brunno, 56, who was arrested in Buġibba on October 2, five years after the Sicilian police mounted an extensive hunt for him. He is known as the head of the Nardo Cosca, a branch of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra.
The arrest followed an international investigation coordinated by the Catania anti-Mafia unit with the Maltese CID and Drug Squad.
In her submissions, deputy Attorney General Donatella Frendo Dimech argued that the proceedings had begun after the Catania authorities had written to their Maltese counterparts that Mr Brunno was wanted to serve time in jail over a murder of Agnello Nicolò in April 1992 and for possession of weapons.
The Italians had previously said they also wanted Mr Brunno over an attempted murder in September that year but the conviction on this crime had been overturned at appeal stage.
She said that all the legal requirements for Mr Brunno to be extradited over an extraditable offence had been satisfied.
On his part, defence lawyer Roberto Montalto argued that the extradition request ought to be thrown out as the documents presented as supporting evidence were “inadmissible”.
“Some of the documents are simply photocopies and are not authenticated in any way and are therefore inadmissible. The certification of the official judgment, as requested by law, is inadmissible. The prosecution request is based entirely on this document and in view of this flaw the request ought to be turned down,” he said.
But Dr Frendo Dimech rebutted, saying the documents and the request to extradite Mr Brunno had been signed by an Italian Minister and the documents related to the court case in Italy authenticated by a judicial authority.