A British art dealer and his financier partner have been found shot dead at their home in Malta.
Ivor Maciejowski, a Briton of Polish descent, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on the top floor of his home in the resort town of Sliema on Tuesday night.
Christian Pandolfino, his Maltese partner, was found dead on the lower floor of the property around 10.30pm after police were called to reports of gunfire.
Financier Christian Pandolfino (left) and his art-dealer partner Ivor Maciejowski (right) have been found shot to death in their apartment in Malta
Maciejowski, a Briton of Polish heritage, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on the upper floor of the home, while Pandolfino was found dead downstairs
Officers are now hunting three gunmen who were seen entering the house, before fleeing the area in a white car.
No description of the suspects has been issued, and officers have not yet disclosed a motive for the crime.
Maciejowski was a contemporary art dealer while Pandolfino was a collector, and the pair were known to keep a large amount of fine art in their home.
Officers say there are signs of a struggle inside the property, but have not revealed whether any valuables were taken.
Maciejowski is seen posing alongside artworks by Andy Warhol in an image uploaded to his Instagram last year
CCTV from the area shows that Pandolfino left the home around 7pm to have dinner with friends, and returned home around 10pm. Maciejowski stayed at home, the Times of Malta reported.
Footage then showed three men entering the property at 10.19pm, before leaving again at 10.23, around the time gunshots were reported to police.
Officers say the men were driven away from the scene by a fourth person, who waited in a white car nearby.
Maciejowski and Pandolfino had been dating for at least four years, friends said, after meeting in London where they both lived for a time.
Mr Maciejowski had previously owned a UK-based online gallery, which records show was dissolved in 2019.
Meanwhile Mr Pandolfino had recently become a shareholder of Sliema-based Art Decor Properties and Interiors.
Before that he had worked in London’s financial sector, and is also thought to be a trained doctor.
The news shocked Malta’s LGBTQ community, and in a Facebook post Malta Pride suggested the crime had been a ‘botched hold up’.
It said: ‘Tragic is an understatement.
‘Although details of the case are still emerging, it seems that this was a botched hold up and not necessarily related to being a homophobic hate crime.
Police have not yet revealed a motive for the attack, but the couple were known to keep a large collection of fine art in their apartment (building, pictured)
‘It would be sensible to wait and see at this point without making any rash conclusions.’
Friend of the couple, Jordan Munn, said fellow mates had been taken aback by their deaths.
He said: ‘They were just really, really great people. Selfless and funny and just friendly.’
Meanwhile, Mr Pandolfino’s nephew, Luca Pandolfino, said on Facebook that his family had lost ‘two gentle giants’.
He said: ‘We all are still trying to make sense of things during these tragic times.
‘Yesterday the world lost two gentle giants who were the two nicest people you could ever meet, keep your loved ones close because you never know when they could be taken away from you.
‘Rest in peace uncle Chris and Ivor.’
The investigation is ongoing.