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EXCLUSIVE: Hugo Chetcuti Murder Suspect ‘Was Jailed For Armed Robbery In Serbia’

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Left: The man charged with murdering Hugo Chetcuti (right) has been identified as Bojan Mitić

The man charged with murdering Hugo Chetcuti had been convicted and jailed in Serbia for taking part in an armed robbery, an old acquaintance of the suspect has revealed to Lovin Malta.

The murder suspect had originally been identified by Bojan Cmelik, but the acquaintance insists his real name is actually Bojan Mitić, raising suspicion that he had used a fake passport to get around in Malta.

Lovin Malta is reliably informed that the Maltese police are investigating the suspect’s history and the possibility that he had used a fake passport.

Bojan Mitić was one of seven men arrested for carrying out an armed robbery on a van belonging to Belgrade’s state-owned transport company back in 2005. According to a Serbian news report, Mitić and two other men had boarded the van after receiving inside information of its movements, threatened the driver with an automatic rifle and a pistol, and made off with six million dinar (€50,828) in cash and transport passes worth 10 million dinar (€84,678).

While police arrested six of the suspects, Mitić remained at large, triggering a manhunt for him. According to our source, he was arrested in Belgrade some two years later, jailed for around 5-6 years and released sometime between 2015 and 2016.

“I’ve known Bojan since he was a child and I remember him as a very sporty boy who was passionate about basketball,” our source said. “I can’t even recall him ever getting into a fight at school and I was shocked when I found out he was involved in a robbery. He was just such a normal guy.”

“The robbery was a very big deal back then as it involved the theft of government money.”

Mitić/Cmelik travelled to Malta some time after he was released from jail, finding a job at one of Hugo Chetcuti’s several Paceville establishments. According to our source, his choice to relocate to Malta could well have been spurred by the fact his brother was already working as a bartender in one of Chetcuti’s establishments. His brother is said to have fled Malta after Chetcuti succumbed to his stab injuries last week.

Hugo

Hugo Chetcuti succumbed to his injuries last week

“I had read about his arrest on a Serbian news site, which had also reported his surname as Cmelik,” our source said. “However, the man in the photo was clearly Bojan Mitić and then I remembered his brother was also working in Malta.”

Police believe they have a strong case against Mitić/Cmelik, who allegedly stabbed Chetcuti twice in the stomach on a Friday night in the middle of Paceville in full view of several people. The suspect, who is pleading not guilty, was arrested near St James Hospital in Sliema that same night, after initially giving the police the slip near Exiles. He resisted arrest and had to be tasered down due to his large size.

Yet the motive for stabbing the Paceville mogul remains unclear. He was fired from the Hugo Group 8 months ago, allegedly for being drunk at work, but the company’s spokesperson said he hadn’t displayed any anger or animosity after he was given his marching orders.

Police sources told L-Orizzont that the murder could well have been a contract killing orchestrated by the Balkan mafia, but separate police sources insisted with Lovin Malta that such a possibility is not being considered at this stage.

READ NEXT: 6 Projects Hugo Chetcuti Was Working On Before He Was Killed

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Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]

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