Mafia boss Sebastiano Brunno is to be extradited to Italy to serve a life sentence for a 1992 murder after a magistrate acceded to a request by the Italian authorities.

Mr Brunno, 56, is wanted in Catania over the murder of Agnello Nicolò in April 1992 and weapons possession.

He 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.

The proceedings began after the Catania authorities had written to their Maltese counterparts that Mr Brunno was wanted to serve time in jail over the murder.

The Italian authorities 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.

Magistrate Aaron Bugeja said this mistake in the request did not change its substance and that the judgment handed down by the Sicilian court and confirmed on appeal proved that Mr Brunno had not served time in jail over the murder.

He was referring to the submissions made by the defence that the request for his extradition was null because it contained a crime that he had not committed.

It had been sufficiently proven that Mr Brunno was convicted by the Italian courts

Magistrate Bugeja said it had been sufficiently proven that Mr Brunno was convicted by the Italian courts, that he was present when sentenced and had been a fugitive since 2009.

He therefore ordered the extradition – once Mr Brunno served three months’ jail time in Malta for being in possession of a fake Italian passport. The time would have been served starting next week.

Mr Brunno will also not be extradited before the 15-day time window to appeal the extradition judgment.

Deputy Attorney General Donatella Dimech and Police Inspector Mario Cuschieri prosecuted while lawyers Roberto Montalto and Michaela Spiteri appeared for Mr Brunno.