Jury Acquits Ex-Soldier Lorin Scicluna Over 2019 Murder of Lassana Cisse
· Updated
In brief
- Former soldier Lorin Scicluna has been acquitted of the murder of Lassana Cisse following an 8-1 jury verdict.
- The decision was delivered on Sunday evening after nearly two weeks of court testimony regarding the April 2019 shooting.
- Cisse, a 42-year-old father of two, was killed in Ħal Far in an attack that also targeted two other men.
A criminal court jury has cleared former soldier Lorin Scicluna of the murder of Lassana Cisse, concluding a high-profile trial more than seven years after the fatal shooting took place in Ħal Far.
The jury returned an 8-1 not guilty verdict on Sunday evening, bringing an end to nearly two weeks of courtroom testimony and deliberations concerning the events of April 2019.
Cisse, a 42-year-old father of two, was gunned down while walking home along a rural road. The attack also resulted in the attempted murder of two other individuals who were injured during the same incident.
The 2019 incident triggered widespread shock and public outrage across Malta, drawing intense national scrutiny over violence directed towards foreign nationals.
Scicluna, who served in the Armed Forces of Malta at the time of his arrest, faced multiple charges in connection with the fatal attack, but jurors ultimately rejected the prosecution's case on the main counts.
The legal proceedings represent one of the most closely watched criminal trials in modern Maltese judicial history, concluding with Scicluna's formal acquittal on the primary indictment.
The Spin Room
Medium media divide. Reporting diverged between neutral coverage of the legal verdict and strong editorial condemnation of the jury's decision.
- The Shift News: Highlighted the timeline since the April 2019 murder, the two weeks of court testimony, and the broader public reaction to the killing.
- Lovin Malta: Focused on the factual details of the 8-1 verdict, the duration of the case, and the background to the 2019 shooting.
- The Maltese Herald: Adopted a strongly critical editorial stance, directly condemning the jury's acquittal and criticising the court proceedings.
Updates
- : Updated with reporting from Times of Malta and NET News: jurors convicted Lorin Scicluna on two lesser charges, while civil society organisations expressed outrage over the murder acquittal and urged reform of the jury system.