The scheduled hearing in the ongoing criminal proceedings against six members of the Pace family was abruptly halted on Thursday when a lift malfunction stranded three of the accused alongside two correctional officers. The group was en route to a courtroom at the Valletta law courts when the elevator, designated exclusively for defendants and suspects, stopped working. A court source told MaltaToday that the incident occurred because the lift was overloaded, exceeding its capacity limit. Members of the Civil Protection Department responded and successfully freed the five occupants after more than an hour; no injuries were reported.