A court this afternoon appointed Dr Anthony Cutajar as an expert to draw up an inventory of the assets of former Police Inspector David Gatt including past assets and salary due to him by the police.
The decision to draw up the inventory was taken following a request by the defence this afternoon. During the last sitting last week, the prosecution requested the court to freeze Gatt’s assets.
Defence lawyer Joe Giglio told the court this afternoon that the prosecution agreed with the request of the defence as it wanted to prove Dr Gatt's innocence. The defence said the court should appoint an experts to draw up an investory of Dr Gatt's assetts current and past assets, including of the wages he is still due by the police force.
Dr Gatt remains in custody with the court having decided to postpone a decision on whether bail should be granted.
During the continuation of the compilation of evidence against Dr Gatt, the defence presented the court a court sentence where PC99 Mario Portelli had been convicted, and said that according to records, the constable also had another conviction.
The defence last week argued that Dr Gatt should be granted bail because he had a cleaner criminal record than prosecution witness PC Portelli .
Gatt is accused of involvement in a series of high profile crimes, including the attempted HSBC hold-up and the hold-up on a jeweller in Attard on December 3.
During today’s sitting, Police Constable PC99 Mario Portelli told a court today how David Gatt once showed him a pistol and pointed it to his head.
He also said that Gatt had admitted to him that he planned the attempted hold-up at HSBC headquarters in Qormi last summer.
Those who gave evidence today also included ballistics expert Brigadier (retd) Maurice Calleja who said that the same shotgun was fired in the attempted hold-up on HSBC headquarters in Qormi last summer and the hold-up on a jeweller in Attard.
Brig Calleja said he had examined cartridges lifted from the scene of the two crimes and concluded that they were fired from the same weapon.
Asked if David Gatt had never been mentioned, he replied in the negative.
During the sitting, the court heard the evidence of a number of policemen who took part in the inquiries connected to the two cases.
PC Portelli
PC99 Mario Portelli on being shown a photo of a pistol. said that in April or May last year he was shown a similar weapon by Dr Gatt who put it to his head and told him that he would soon hear “Enter the Dragon”.
The constable said he removed the weapon from his head and told him to stop joking.
Asked if he knew why he had been shown the weapon, and why it was pointed at his head and why those words were spoken, PC Portelli said that on that day he did not know.
About three weeks after the HSBC hold-up, the two had met at a Sliema restaurant in the evening and Gatt told him he had organised the hold-up and he had been planning it for five months. He said he had a contact who worked at the bank and it was through this person that he had acquired the necessary information.
Gatt had also told him that he was worried because Darren Debono had been shot and injured. He was worried that doctor, known as Goofy, who had seen Debono, would mention his (Gatt’s) name when giving evidence in court.
Gatt had gone to seek out the doctor at Old Smugglers Bar, taken him to the kitchen and warned him not to mention him.
PC Psaila said he continued to meet Gatt socially every week or two .
Chris Cardona
Labour MP Chris Cardona exhibited a statement he had given to the police and said he had nothing to add or delete from it.
Prosecution showed him six photos and asked him if he remembered the occasion.
Dr Cardona said he could see himself in four of them at the Old Smugglers’ in Balzan which he occasionally went in his free time.
Dr Cardona confirmed that Dr Gatt used to be at his office in Birkirkara and he also used to see him at court. However, he never knew he was planning any hold-ups. Nor did he know anything about the incident involving the doctor.
He had not had contact with Gatt for the past seven weeks and had not attended his court sittings because he had to give evidence.
Jesmond Muscat of Guardamangia, a security guard with Security Services, explained that on June 30 he was on duty at the control room of HSBC headquarters in Qormi when the attempted hold-up took place.
He recalled how he saw three hooded men who bound him up but then released him in order that he could call the policeman on duty on the premises. He was taken by the two men to call the officer. The two of them were then taken back to the control room and bound.
Soon after, one of the hooded men received a call and they fled. From the monitors they could then see how the shooting unfolded outside.
The witness said he did not know anything about Dr Gatt and had not seen him.
Evidence was also given today by policemen who were involved in the shootout outside HSBC. They recounted the events which had taken place on the day.
PC Kenneth Ciangura recounted his experience in the attempted HSBC hold-up in which he and a colleague ended up firing on the alleged thieves and the thieves on them.