Former Soldier Lorin Scicluna Found Not Guilty For Murder Of Lassana Cisse

Former soldier Lorin Scicluna has been acquitted of the murder of Lassana Cisse in a racially motivated drive-by shooting in Ħal Far in 2019, as well as the attempted murder of three other men, Times of Malta has reported.

A jury on Sunday evening returned an 8-1 not guilty verdict on the murder of the 42-year-old father of two from the Ivory Coast, as well as on the attempted murders of Ibrahim Bah, Mohammed Jallow and May Malimi.

Scicluna was found guilty by a 6-3 majority of inflicting grievous bodily harm on Malimi and by a unanimous 9-0 verdict of using a vehicle without registration plates.

The court adjourned the case until Wednesday 4 November, when submissions on the judgment will be heard. Scicluna will remain in custody until then.

The trial, which began on 19 October, centred on the killing of Cisse, who was shot dead while walking home after watching a football match on 6 April 2019.

The prosecution argued that the attack was motivated by racial hatred, describing it as a case of “racial hatred with a fatal outcome”.

Scicluna, who was serving with the Armed Forces of Malta at the time, denied all charges and blamed fellow former soldier Francesco Fenech, who faces separate proceedings over the killing.

The prosecution argued that evidence, including CCTV footage and the firearm recovered from beneath Scicluna’s bed, linked him to the attack.

The defence maintained that Fenech was responsible for the shooting and that Scicluna’s guilt had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

#MaltaDaily