Hugo Chetcuti’s Alleged Murderer Was Fired Because He Wouldn’t Stop Speaking Serbian At Work
Cover photo: Left, Bojan Cmelik, right, Hugo Chetcuti
Bojan Cmelik, the Serbian man accused of murdering Maltese entrepreneur Hugo Chetcuti, was fired twice from Hugo’s establishments, with his second sacking stemming from the fact that he would speak Serbian at work, against the rules.
“In Bacco’s, we had a rule of either speaking in English or Maltese because we don’t speak Serbian. One particular reason I fired him was because he came with this attitude of ‘I will speak Serbian if I want to’,” said Noel Falzon, Hugo Chetcuti’s brother-in-law and the manager of five of his establishments.
Falzon was testifying in court today as the case against Cmelik continues. The last session had to be postponed after Falzon himself lost control and began verbally abusing Cmelik in the courtroom after Cmelik seemed to be smiling at the Chetcuti family.
Falzon explained that after personally firing him, he saw Cmelik one final time, after September 2017, when he went to pick up his wages. “That was the last time I saw him before the murder,” Falzon said. Cmelik had begun working at Bacco’s in February 2017.
Cmelik had previously been fired after he didn’t show up to work on New Year’s Eve
Dylan Mallia, a one-time Operations Manager of Hugo’s Terrace, said that Cmelik had been fired from Terrace after not showing up for work on New Year’s Eve, with Mallia taking responsibility for the sacking: “It was my decision,” he said.
The court, which was presided over by Magistrate Marseanne Farrugia, also heard how Cmelik was trained by Hugo’s staff and was promoted over time.
“At first he started as a bar helper, then we trained him as a bartender and then he started serving people as a bartender,” said Falzon.
Malta’s entertainment industry was left in shock after Hugo Chetcuti, the businessman who helped shape Paceville and launch a series of successful ventures, was stabbed in cold blood by a former employee.
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