Hugo’s Chetcuti’s Concerned Serbian Staff Tell Balkan Media Of Suspect’s Criminal And Psychiatric History
Left: Late Paceville mogul Hugo Chetcuti, Right: Murder suspect Bojan Čmelik
Serbian staff of the late Hugo Chetcuti have told a Serbian news website that the man charged with their late employer’s murder had a criminal and psychiatric history.
The staff, who work at Hugo’s Hotel, voiced their concerns to Serbian news site Alo a few days ago, before Chetcuti had succumbed to injuries sustained last weekend. They said that murder suspect Bojan Čmelik had always seemed “suspicious” and that they eventually found out he had a criminal record and was once sent to a psychiatric clinic.
“People prosecuted in Serbia are fleeing from the law and are coming to Malta to find a job,” the staff said, on condition of anonymity. “Now a murderer is amongst them.”
The Serbian staff said they are concerned the murder of Chetcuti will negatively tarnish the Serbian community in Malta.
“When we heard the news, we prayed to God that the attacker was not from Serbia,” one of them said. “We are ashamed to say where we come from now. Hugo is a very good man and he gives us everything we need. We all wrote a letter of support to him and told him people should not be generalised based on their nationality. We believe he understand that.”
Čmelik, who doesn’t have a Maltese residence, was reportedly fired around eight months ago.
Joe Giglio, the lawyer representing Chetcuti’s family, has said Čmelik was fired from the establishment because he was drunk at work.
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