A convicted robber involved in a foiled hold-up at the then Mid-Med Bank(now HSBC) in Swieqi 18 years ago claimed today that policemen fired at the gang first, as they were trying to escape.
Joseph Polidano, who was jailed for 10 years for the attempted theft, told a jury this afternoon that the police started shooting at the robbers.
He was testifying in the trial of George Xuereb, 49, of Marsa, known as it-Tiġieġu, accused of having been one of the robbers.
Mr Polidano was one of the robbers injured in the exchange of fire with the police. He was later arrested and jailed for 10 years. Also jailed for 10 years was Carmelo Spiteri.
Mr Polidano testified however that five men were involved in the hold-up, claiming the others were George Cutajar, il-Manocc, and Amadeo Brincat.
However, when asked to explain why all the witnesses in the bank, together with the mobile squad police officers who arrived during the hold-up, said there were three men, Mr Polidano did not give a clear answer.
When asked if he recognised the accused as one of the robbers he said “If it’s him, then he really got old”.
At one time Mr Justice Michael Mallia told Mr Polidano off for not answering questions and giving different answers to what he had originally testified in 1997. “You are trying to play the fool here, now I’m fed up my patience has reached its limit”.
Addressing the jurors at the opening of the trial, lawyer Lara Lanfranco, representing the Attorney General’s Office, said that at around 10.30am on March 27, 1996, a number of armed and hooded people entered the bank, now an HSBC branch, with the intention of stealing around Lm100,000 (€233,000).
When they entered the building, they took control of who was inside, including PC 393 Maurice Laferla who was responsible for the bank’s security.The policeman was ordered him to lie face down on the floor with a weapon pointed at him. The gang asked the officer whether he had a weapon and he lied, saying no.
Coincidentally, a police mobile squad car stopped at a nearby petrol station because one of the vehicle’s tyres was low. One of the officers stepped out of the car and realised there was a problem at the bank.
He approached the building and noticed that hooded and armed people were inside, holding people against their will.
The robbers noticed the police officers and tried to escape. As they left the building, they took a revolver belonging to Constable Laferla.
The police tried to stop them leaving the bank but the robbers opened fire and the policemen fired back.
The robbers, two of whom were hit and injured by the police, managed to drive off in a van which they had parked in front of the bank.
In the rush to escape, the van was involved in an accident with another vehicle. It was eventually abandoned close to Pender Place.
The police were informed that three people had got out of the van. One of the men was limping and had to be helped by the other two. The injured man eventually stopped by a wall while the other two ran off.
The injured man was identified as Żeppi Polidano, who was eventually jailed for 10 years for the foiled hold-up. The police found that the van had been stolen a month previously. Even the licence plates had been stolen. When examined, officials found boilers suits, blood and plastic bags in the vehicle.
Dr Lanfranco said that a month after the hold-up, a man called Carmelo Spiteri had not returned home and was reported missing. In fact, he had been staying at a residence in Qormi, which belonged to Mr Xuereb who was his uncle.
The police then started investigating Mr Xuereb. His fingerprint matched those found on a plastic bag found in the van.
In 2003, Carmelo Spiteri was also jailed for 10 years after he pleaded guilty to taking part in the armed bank robbery. He admitted to the crime, which was foiled by two quick-witted mobile squad policemen but not before PC Maurice Laferla, on security duty at the bank, was injured.
Mr Spiteri himself was injured by police who returned fire after he tried to kill them.
Lawyer Kevin Valletta is also appearing for the office of the Attorney General. Lawyer Raphael Fenech Adami appeared for Mr Xuereb.
ANNIVERSARY OF SECOND FOILED HEIST
Today's trial, coincidentally started exactly a year after the police foiled a second major heist from the same bank when they discovered a 15-metre long tunnel which was being dug from a garage at the back of the bank, to the bank's vault.