8 years after Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated by a car bomb outside her Bidnija home, the jury of Yorgen Fenech, accused of complicity in the crime, has offered the most detailed public examination yet of the relationships and conversations as well as manoeuvres that surrounded the murder besides its aftermath.
While jurors may ultimately determine Fenech’s guilt in commissioning the assassination, weeks of testimony have already depicted a stark picture of the intersection between political power, business interests, and organised crime, as well as state institutions in Malta during one of the country’s darkest periods.
The proceedings have not only focused on the mechanics of the alleged plot. They have also revealed how influential figures reacted as the investigations closed in. It exposed networks of communication that extended from Castille to Malta’s criminal underworld.
Among the most striking evidence has been testimony from witnesses describing the then prime minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri‘s, apparent anxiety in the months before Fenech’s arrest nearly 7 years ago in November ’19.
Jurors heard that Schembri summoned Johann Cremona, one of Fenech’s former business partners, to Castille, asking to be informed if Fenech initiated contact. According to the witness, Schembri appeared visibly concerned. This fuelled long-standing questions about the nature of the relationship between Malta’s most powerful public official at the time and the businessman accused of commissioning a journalist’s murder.
The testimony adds another layer to evidence already established through previous criminal proceedings. It reflected frequent communication between Schembri & Fenech during the period leading up to the referred assassination. Cremona had shared that, on the eve of Schembri’s long-awaited testimony, Fenech’s defence lawyers met with him.
This trial has also highlighted the central role played by Melvin Theuma. Theuma’s the self-confessed middleman who had received a presidential pardon in exchange for revealing the alleged conspiracy.
Jurors heard recordings secretly initiated by Theuma, which contained conversations with Fenech that allegedly touched on the investigation and political developments besides concerns about witnesses.
