A date has finally been set for Lorin Scicluna to stand trial over the murder of Lassana Cisse, more than seven years after the 42-year-old was shot dead in Ħal Far.The trial is set to begin on Monday 19th October 2026 at 9am.The court ordered that the Attorney General and the accused be formally notified, while jurors selected for October and any witnesses required by the prosecution or defence are also to be summoned.Scicluna is accused in connection with the killing of Cisse, a migrant worker and father of two from the Ivory Coast, in what is believed to be the first racially motivated murder in Maltese history.Cisse was shot on the night of 6th April 2019 while walking back to the Ħal Far Open Centre after watching a football match in Birżebbuġa.Two other migrants, Ibrahim Bah and Mohammed Jallow, were also injured in the attack.Just over a month later, off-duty AFM soldiers Francesco Fenech and Lorin Scicluna were arrested and charged with Cisse’s murder, as well as the attempted murder of Bah, Jallow and May Malimi, who had been injured in a separate hit-and-run incident two months earlier.Both men denied the charges and pleaded not guilty.The prosecution confirmed in June 2021 that it had presented all its evidence in the case, while Cisse’s remains were repatriated to the Ivory Coast in July 2022, more than three years after his death.Now, after years of delays and continued calls for justice, a trial date has finally been set.Back in January 2020, Lovin Malta released a documentary on Lassana’s life and death, highlighting the human story behind the headlines.•