Attorney General must answer after Cisse murder acquittal – Momentum

Momentum has called on the Attorney General to explain how the prosecution handled the Lassana Cisse murder case, following the acquittal of former soldier Lorin Scicluna more than seven years after the killing.

The party said the verdict raised serious questions about Malta’s justice system and the time taken to bring murder cases before a jury.

Cisse, a 42-year-old father of two from Ivory Coast, was shot dead while walking home in Ħal Far on 6 April 2019. Two other men, Mohammed Jallow and Ibrahim Bah, were wounded in the shooting.

On Sunday, jurors acquitted Scicluna of murder and three attempted murder charges by eight votes to one. However, they convicted him of grievously injuring May Malimi in a separate incident and driving without registration plates. Sentencing submissions are scheduled for 4 November.

Momentum questioned how Scicluna’s admissions during the trial had failed to establish criminal responsibility for the killing.

Scicluna acknowledged driving the car that night, removing its number plates and leaving phones behind. He also admitted that he and his companion had previously sought out Black people to harass.

He maintained that fellow former soldier Francesco Fenech opened fire without warning and threatened him when he objected. Fenech faces separate proceedings, which remain pending.

The judge instructed jurors that a shared intention to kill could establish complicity, while stressing that guilt had to be proved beyond reasonable doubt.

“The Attorney General owes the public an explanation of how this case was built and presented,” Momentum said.

The party also criticised the seven-year wait for trial, arguing that delays weakened evidence and prolonged families’ suffering.

“A system that cannot deliver justice for Lassana Cisse cannot promise it to anyone,” said Momentum General Secretary Mark Camilleri Gambin.

Momentum called for urgent reform, saying victims’ families and the wider public deserved truth, accountability and justice.