European Arrest Warrant For Missing Murder Suspect Yet To Be Issued
A European Arrest Warrant is yet to be issued for Ramzi Abdulhafid Ib Abukem, the man charged with murder that is currently on the run from the police, well-informed sources have told Lovin Malta.
A police spokesperson refused to confirm or deny whether this was the case, refusing to comment pending investigations. Ramzi is currently wanted for a separate investigation but has been charged with a multitude of crimes including murder, attempted murder and theft.
There are real fears that Ramzi, who is out on bail for his alleged crimes, could have fled the island. However, there is as yet no official record of his departure, hinting that he could have bypassed Malta’s security checks.
It will not be the first time that Ramzi fled a country to avoid prosecution with sources claiming that he was also wanted for an unspecified crime in Libya before coming to Malta.
Ramzi will also not be the first suspected criminal to flee Malta undetected. Ryan Schembri notably escaped Malta by boarding a ferry to Sicily before settling in the UAE and then Scotland.
Meanwhile, police have been under intense criticism for the failures in pursuing EAWs in both Schembri and Iosif Galea’s cases.
Ramzi’s history with crime dates back to 2016 when he was charged with attempted murder following a fight with bouncers in which he brandished a sword. He was released on bail for the case, which is ongoing.
He was back in court in December 2017 over charges of aggravated theft, cocaine possession and breaching his bail conditions, but was once again released on bail while a verdict is yet to be reached.
In 2018 Ramzi’s crimes escalated and he was charged with beating to death Mahmoud Elmejdi in Ħamrun, as well as holding another two against their will and threatening to kill them. Ramzi was also released on bail in this case, which is also yet to be concluded.
A year later, Ramzi was charged with two separate cases in the same month, which included several thefts and possession of illegal weapons.
Despite breaching his bail conditions numerous times, Ramzi was also granted bail in this case and ordered to sign the bail book at the police station in Qormi.
The next two years were relatively quiet, but he found himself in the news once again after he was linked to the high-profile murder of Mario Farrugia but was released without charge pending investigation.
The manhunt for Ramzi is also a reminder of Malta’s abysmal court system, which sees scores of alleged criminals walk free on bail due to massive delays.
Questions sent to the Home Affairs Ministry were unanswered by the time of publication.
Anyone that has any type of information is being requested to contact the police, through Facebook or either through 21224001/ 119 while quoting “6/2022”
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