Jesmond Vella, the Maltese man detained in Libya on suspected drug trafficking charges, has made contact with both his family and Malta’s Ambassador, more than a month after he was first reported missing. 

Well-informed sources told Lovin Malta that Ambassador Charles Saliba was finally granted access to Vella over the last few days and was able to speak to him face-to-face. 

There remain concerns that Vella could have suffered ill-treatment over the month he was kept away from Maltese officials and family. Sources said that Vella was “healthy” but noted that he was receiving “the necessary medical treatment”. 

During a meeting between the Ambassador and Vella, the detained man was able to call his wife – who he has not spoken to since he went missing on 5th April.

Jesmond Vella, who has been living in Libya for eight years, was first reported missing on 5th April 2021. His family told Lovin Malta that they believed he was kidnapped by a militia. However, it was later confirmed that he was actually arrested in connection to drug trafficking charges. 

Bureaucracy and a breakdown in communication proved troublesome for Maltese authorities and the family, who feared that Vella was in grave danger and may never return home.

Vella had first moved to Libya eight years ago after facing cannabis-related drug charges in Malta. In fact, he was named as a source of information of a separate case involving two drug traffickers in Malta.

Vella’s partner had no problem conceding that past mistakes may have been made but maintained that Vella and the rest of the family remained Maltese citizens and required some urgent assistance, even if that means being extradited to Malta.

“I don’t care if they find him, take him back to Malta, and he goes to prison, all I want is for him to be safe,” she says.

However, it appears there may be no appetite by the Maltese government to intervene.