Court-appointed experts tasked with determining the mental health of state witness Melvin Theuma will be made to testify in court over their findings.

Magistrate Rachel Montebello issued the decree following an application from lawyers of Yorgen Fenech, the man charged in connection with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Despite upholding the request, Montebello still had time to admonish the lawyers for their repeated court applications.

“The court expects that requests filed by the defence lawyers should follow the serious and due consideration expected of court officials in criminal proceedings, rather than being filed haphazardly,” she said.

Theuma has been out of action ever since his suspected suicide attempt last July. He was given a conditional pardon last year to reveal all he knows about the murder and other major crimes, a decision taken solely by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Theuma attempted suicide the day before he was due to be cross-examined by Fenech’s defence team in relation to as yet-unplayed recordings he had taken. The content of these recordings is unknown, but they’re believed to relate to allegations that Theuma could have bribed former police commissioner Laurence Cutajar to secure his pardon.

Fenech’s lawyers said last October that Theuma negotiated his pardon for €17,000, using as a go-between Edwin ‘Il-Ġojja’ Brincat, a mutual friend of Theuma and Cutajar.

They claim that tapes show that Brincat told Theuma to refer to Fenech as “the mastermind” and by his first name to the police.

Fenech’s lawyers have tried to get Theuma back to testify. However, this has been shot down by Montebello.

In her ruling today, she said that the court-appointed experts will need to testify before Theuma can take the stand.

The case against Fenech has been put off till 12th January as part of the rinviju process.

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