A court expert in the magisterial inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia should be removed from the case, lawyers for one of the three men charged with the killing have argued. 

In an urgent constitutional application filed on Friday, lawyers for Alfred Degiorgio, known as il-Fulu, argued that Martin Bajada's appointment to the case violated their client's fundamental rights. 

Mr Bajada is an IT and mobile phone expert who continues to enjoy the trust of several members of Malta's judiciary, despite having been convicted of theft and fraud back in 1993. 

In June 2016, a court of appeal found that a defendant had the right to ask for Mr Bajada's evidence to be struck from the record, “in the general interest of the administration of justice”. 

Lawyers for Mr Degiorgio have asked the courts to expunge any work Mr Bajada has carried out for the magisterial inquiry into Ms Caruana Galizia's murder, and to declare that his involvement was a violation of Mr Degiorgio's right to a fair trial. 

The compilation of evidence against Mr Degiorgio and the two other co-accused, his brother George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, is due to continue on Monday.