Woman’s stolen car still in lock-up, four years after it was recovered

When Luckie (Ludgarda) Zammit’s stolen automotive was lastly present in June 2020, she believed it was the results of her late husband’s heavenly intervention.

“I’m certain it was his doing. He managed to perform what the police couldn’t,” Zammit mentioned.

The automotive, a Fiat 500, was stolen from the Zammits’ storage in 2017 and the police discovered it three years later.

Nonetheless, 4 years later, Zammit continues to be unable to drive the automotive she and her husband had purchased collectively, because the courts have but to launch it.

Zammit filed a courtroom utility asking Justice of the Peace Monica Vella to launch the automotive a couple of days after it was discovered. However, over 4 years later, the automotive has nonetheless not been launched. “Though the police accomplished their forensic evaluation, the automotive stays within the police lock-up as its launch has not been accredited,” Zammit mentioned.

“We have been anticipating the automotive to be launched in a couple of weeks. I by no means anticipated it might take so lengthy,” she mentioned.

Zammit says she filed a number of requests by way of her lawyer to attempt to get the courtroom to launch the automotive and, earlier this yr, her lawyer appealed to the lawyer normal for assist, Zammit mentioned. “I used to be by no means given a purpose why they saved the automotive,” she mentioned.

Zammit, 69, and her husband, Martin, purchased the “mint” situation second-hand automotive for €11,500 in 2015.

They’d it for 2 years earlier than robbers broke into their Rabat storage and stole it.

“I used to be additionally very upset as a result of they stole the automotive from the storage.

“They invaded my private house,” she mentioned.

As a result of the automotive keys have been within the ignition, Zammit obtained no insurance coverage cash.

Hope that the automotive would ever be discovered had dwindled till it was discovered on Father’s Day 2020.

“I used to be on my method to the cemetery once I bought a name saying the automotive had been discovered,” Zammit mentioned.

“The automotive was discovered proper subsequent to the Żebbuġ cemetery, a couple of metres away from the place my husband is buried.”

4 years later, Zammit is hoping she will be able to have her automotive once more. “It was like our child. I used to like driving it,” Zammit mentioned.