Updated 8.20pm

A hearing in the compilation of evidence against Daphne Caruana Galizia's allleged murderers was wrapped up almost as soon as it began on Tuesday, as none of the witnesses meant to testify made it to the courtroom. 

The magistrate put the hearing off to Thursday, when eight witnesses are meant to testify. They include scene of crime officers and pathologists. 

Late on Tuesday and hours after the court session had ended, Malta's police force issued a statement denying "media reports" that witnesses scheduled to testify that day were police officers who had failed to show up.  

The witnesses, police said, were court experts who had either not yet finished compiling their reports or else were "caught on other urgent court related matters." 

The police force statement was also tweeted by the government's head of communications, Kurt Farrugia. 

Writing on Twitter, Ms Caruana Galizia's son Matthew expressed dismay at the witness no-shows and predicted that defence lawyers for the three accused would "now request bail again, claiming the state is not displaying an interest in the case."

 

Minute-by-minute

10.12am

And that is it! The sitting has come to an end. Eight witnesses are to testify on Thursday in the compilation of evidence, after the hearing on Tuesday ended after just half an hour because witnesses meant to testify were unable to attend. 

9:53am

There have already been several hearings in this compilation of evidence, since it finally got underway on December 19, but it seems that there is still some way to go: Inspector Arnaud has updated the magistrate with the list of witnesses who are still to testify. These include scene of crime officers and pathologists. Eight witnesses have been lined up for the next hearing on Thursday. 

9:45am

To present or not to present? The first debate has already started after defence lawyer William Cuschieri referred to the constitutional case filed on behalf of his client Alfred Degiorgio before Mr Justice Silvio Meli. This is about documentation from the proces verbal which had been produced in evidence in that constitutional case.

Jason Azzopardi, on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family, said they would not object so long as such documentation was not made accessible to public. While they await the magistrate's approval, Inspector Keith Arnaud exhibits a number of judgments concerning the accused in relation to the charge of recidivism.

9:39am

Caruana Galizia's parents and her sister are once again in court, stony faced, as the accused are brought into the court. On Monday, a vigil was held for the slain blogger, marking nine months since the murder. The sitting has now started, with armed guards sitting behind the accused, as has become the norm.

Background

Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat have been under arrest for seven months, since their arrest on December 4 in Marsa. They were accused of the car bomb murder a few days later, and pleaded not guilty.

Since the last hearing on July 4, a request for bail was once again turned down.

Read: Seven months after their arrest, Caruana Galizia murder suspects make fresh plea for bail

The brothers were also arraigned before magistrate Joe Mifsud on charges of money laundering,  following a number of anonymous tip-offs following their arraignment, about their lavish lifestyle which seemed even suspicious since they had never filed any tax returns.

Read: Court told about lavish lifestyles of unemployed Degiorgio brothers

Event timeline

Ms Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb blast on October 16 close to her home in Bidnija. 

On the 16th of every month since the assassination, vigils are organised to mark her death.On the 16th of every month since the assassination, vigils are organised to mark her death.

In December, police arrested 10 men in connection with her murder. Three of those - brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat - were charged with her murder. The others were released without charge.

Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit is presiding over the compilation of evidence. 

So far, she has heard how:

• The bomb - between 300gr and 400gr of TNT - was an improvised explosive device clearly intended to kill the journalist. It was planted inside the car.

• A laptop taken by investigators from Ms Caruana Galizia's residence shows the last data dated back to December 2015. She was using another laptop when she was killed.

• Police used the FBI's help to home in on suspicious phone numbers. One was linked to a remote-controlled device and went active at 2am in Bidnija on the day of Ms Caruana Galizia's murder. It received an SMS at the time the bomb went off and immediately went off-radar.

• They believe that the phone which sent the bomb detonation SMS was an old Nokia 105. Police found several Nokia 105 phones at the Marsa shed where they arrested the suspects.

• Police triangulated cell tower data to work out that the killer SMS was sent from out at sea. George Degiorgio was seen going fishing on that day, and shortly after the bomb went off texted his partner "buy me wine, my love."

• They received reports of a suspicious car regularly parked by tat-Tarġa Battery - an ideal vantage point for the killers - in the weeks leading to the murder. The car was subsequently never seen there again.

• Last June, a judge ruled that Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta should not be involved in the murder probe.

The three men accused of the murder.The three men accused of the murder.

Who's in the courtroom?

Martin Fenech is appearing for Vincent Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, 55.

William Cuschieri and Martha Muscat are appearing for Alfred Degiorgio, known as il-Fulu, 53.

Josette Sultana is appearing for Alfred's brother George Degiorgio, known as iċ-Ċiniz, 55.

Philip Galea Farrugia from the attorney general's office and inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra are appearing for the prosecution.

Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are appearing parte civile.

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