A man serving 30 years in jail for being an accomplice in a senseless murder yesterday told a magistrate he was in prison “for nothing” because he was not present during the murder and had a minimal role in it.

A dejected Joseph Zammit, 55, also known as Żeppi Redgħu, made the comment as he testified in the case against James Vella, known as Il-Frejżer, and Chris Scerri, also known as Buttuni or Gazzetti, over the same murder 14 years ago.

Mr Zammit has been in jail since 2011.

The victim, Alphonse Ferriggi, a bank messenger, was killed with a single shot to the head outside a Bank of Valletta branch in San Ġwann during a robbery in 2000. His attackers thought he was carrying money but he was about to deposit worthless letters and mail seconds before he was killed.

Mr Scerri and Mr Vella were charged last week after the police carried out a comprehensive review of the case and found corroborating evidence to the testimony of Mr Zammit who placed the men at the murder scene.

Testifying, Mr Zammit said that in the early hours of the morning in question three men turned up at his Floriana home.

The first was Richard Grech, 44, of Qormi, known as Iz-Zinanna (who was jailed for life in 2011 over the murder) and the others were Mr Vella and Mr Scerri. The men asked him to drive a getaway car and at first he refused.

He said Mr Grech had already approached him and asked him for help in carrying out a well-paid job but he turned the offer down.

After they pressured him and even pushed his wife Rita aside when she too voiced objections, he decided to join them.

On the day, Mr Zammit drove a small, red, egg-shaped car to a field in San Ġwann to where a black Volkswagen was parked. He said he left the men there and drove to Birkirkara, where he parked the red car and got a lift home. “I’m in jail for nothing,” he said, adding that all he did was drop the men off at a black car and leave the scene.

Testifying, Police Inspector Keith Arnaud told the court that witnesses had corroborated Mr Zammit’s testimony.

A man by the name of George Debono had been approached by Mr Vella who asked to borrow a rented, red, bubble-like Mazda from him. He agreed and they arranged that when Mr Vella was ready he would leave the car in a specific place with the key in the ignition.

He found the car in the arranged spot and drove it away, Mr Debono had told the police.

In another piece of corroborating evidence, witness Anthony Frendo, also known as il-Ballerin, told the police that he had seen the four accused together days before the incident and after the news broke about the murder he imagined that it was them.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri appeared for the accused.

The case continues.