Justin Borg, the man charged with the brutal murder of his ex-partner Chantelle Chetcuti, has been granted bail by a Maltese court, Lovin Malta can reveal.

Chantelle Chetcuti, a 34-year-old mother of two, was repeatedly stabbed in a horrific attack outside a Żabbar bar. The murder weapon, a knife, even remained stuck inside Chetcuti’s head after the attack. She succumbed to her injuries a few days later.

After the attack, Borg had even turned himself into police with blood on his clothes. He was charged with the murder, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of cocaine and breaching the peace.

He has pleaded not guilty and the court-appointed an expert to ascertain his mental health.

Borg’s lawyers, Franco Debono, Marion Camilleri, and Francesca Zarb, had submitted a similar bail request a few weeks ago. However, the court refused as several civilian witnesses still had to testify. 

Today that all changed after Dylan Meilak, Christine Sacco, and Emma Grixti were brought to the stand. The prosecution confirmed that there were no civilian witnesses left to testify.

The defence team argued that the presumption of innocence should reign supreme. Magistrate Rachel Montebello agreed, explaining that there was no evidence that Borg would not satisfy the bail conditions.

Borg was released against a €25,000 deposit and a €20,000 personal guarantee. He will be subject to a curfew from 8pm to 5am and will need to sign the bail book ever day.

The brutal assault brought renewed attention on the issue of domestic violence in Malta.  In 2013, Chetcuti had instituted a domestic violence court case against Borg but this was dropped after she chose not to testify.

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