On Monday (today), HSBC advised clients that it will be closing its Rabat branch due to “unforeseen circumstances.”
WhosWho.mt understands that the closure is in relation to the murder of Nicolette Ghirxi, who worked at the bank.
In the early hours of Monday morning, many colleagues, family and friends woke up to the tragic news of the passing of Nicolette.
At this moment, Nicolette is said to have been allegedly murdered by her former partner Edward Johnston after previous reports of harassment following the termination of their relationship.
Nicolette was a beloved member of the community. Finance Malta COO Graziella Grech described the “beautiful soul” as not just a friend but an amazing ex-colleague, an incredible coach, a dedicated leader, and a passionate animal lover.
“Her kindness and strength touched everyone she met. I’ll never forget her hug at my farewell party when I left the bank. Now it’s my turn to say goodbye to you, dear friend,” she wrote on Facebook.
Another former colleague described her as one of the best managers she had ever had.
“My Nicolette! The personification of how a great manager should be: Strict but kind and approachable.” She noted that Nicolette was a strong woman with a great character who wouldn’t have put up with any nonsense,” she wrote.
Furthermore, the former colleague noted that Nicolette’s staff are being taken care of and given the choice if they want to continue with their daily duties.
What happened between Sunday and Monday morning?
During a press conference Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà shared that on Sunday, at around 11:50pm a hotel in St Julian’s requested the police’s assistance as an armed man had entered the establishment and was threatening employees.
Upon arriving on the scene, the police found the man, later identified as 50-year-old Irishman Edward Johnston, behind the hotel by the sea. When approached by the police, Mr Johnston walked into the sea and pointed the gun at his head.
Negotiations with the Rapid Intervention Unit officers and the police’s negotiators took around three hours, during which he admitted to killing a person.
Further investigations revealed that a woman, later identified as 48-year-old Nicholette, had succumbed to injuries, murdered with an knife, which was been possibly found next to the murder scene.
Simultaneously, the ongoing negotiations had escalated as the alleged murderer pointed the gun towards the police. Despite repeated attempts to stop him, police shot him down as he was threatening their lives.
Despite medical attention at the scene, the alleged murderer died a few moments later in hospital.
Later, upon inspection, the gun was found to be a replica and therefore fake.
