Ahmad 
The Maltese authorities are still waiting for a response from their Libyan counterpart regarding the fate of arms and drug trafficker Gomec Calleja Maatouk, and the handover of the body of his wife Marzia.
Kaliga Maatouk and his wife were on the list of the most wanted by the European Union law enforcement cooperation agency (Europol), and they were tracked in Tripoli.
Last May, it was reported that Kaliga Maatouk was arrested by the Libyan authorities, while his 24-year-old wife was found dead in Gharyan, about 80 kilometers southwest of Tripoli.
Calleja was accused of importing explosives and trying to buy deadly poison from the Internet. He was sentenced to five years in prison in August 2023, and after appealing the ruling, he was released on bail.
As for his wife, Marzia, she was convicted of drug possession for the purpose of trafficking and sentenced to 15 months in prison. It is believed that she fled Malta by sea and spent some time hiding in Serbia and Italy before heading to Libya.
The Maltese police stated that they had requested information from the Libyan authorities about the case, but had not yet received a conclusive response, and the Libyan Ministry of Interior did not issue a statement regarding Calleja’s arrest.
Maltese blogger Mark Camilleri reported that Marzia’s autopsy concluded that she had been killed by strangulation, and her husband was being treated as a suspect.
On the other hand, Marzia’s family submitted an official request to the Libyan authorities on May 30 to return her body, and the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed up on the request on June 11 and 26 but did not receive confirmation of the start of extradition procedures.
The Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded that the case is under investigation by the Office of the Attorney General of Libya.
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