Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532977
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 MARCH 2025 NEWS MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Regular communication between Schembri and Fenech uncovered in forensic analysis of phones CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 The two would communi- cate through direct phone calls, WhatsApp messages, and also messages on Signal. This app is similar to Whatsapp but had a feature which could delete on- going messages. This feature was not yet available on the Whatsapp platform at the time. The court heard that police identified two WhatsApp mes- sages sent from Schembri to Fenech referencing the word "confi", meaning confidential court information. The message stated: "Confi, ghax ghadha ma hargitx" (Translation: "Confi, be- cause it hasn't come out yet") . In a previous sitting, the pros- ecution presented evidence that Schembri had access to a confi- dential internal police email. While the defence claimed that the internal email sent to Fenech was unrelated to Caruana Gal- izia's murder, the prosecution claims it proves that Schembri had unauthorised access to sensi- tive police information. The word "confi" was men- tioned in this instance. The word was also used a sec- ond time when Schembri had also taken a photo of the court decree and sent it to Fenech. The decree had not yet been published when the photo was shared. Up until January 11, 2019, there were 149 attempted or completed calls via Signal between the two. Further analysis showed that the app's disappearing messages settings were adjusted 13 times by Fenech, indicating an attempt to conceal communications. Inspector Shaun Paul Friggieri also revealed another key focus of the investigation, referencing a critical period when Vince Mus- cat, also known as il-Koħħu, be- gan cooperating with the police. Muscat is currently serving 15 years in prison after admitting to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The court heard how Keith Schembri informed Yorgen Fenech that Muscat was talking to the police in a bid to secure a presidential pardon in connection to the Caruana Galizia murder. Inspector Friggieri told the court that Fenech informed Melvin Theuma, the middleman in the murder who went on to become a state witness in the case. Fenech told Theuma that "my friend does not know who is behind the middleman, but he knows who's the middleman", the court heard. Friggieri also revealed that be- tween the 23-24 April 2019, pri- or to this meeting, two phone calls were made from Schembri's home landline to Yorgen Fenech's mobile phone. On 23 April, Vince went to po- lice headquarters and gave in- formation on the murder to the police. Shortly after this, the first phone call between Schembri and Fenechwas recorded. The next day, Vince spoke to the police again and that evening, the sec- ond phone call was recorded. The prosecution told the court that, to arrange a meeting to hear Vince Muscat's plea for a presi- dential pardon, Schembri would be the only person who could be aware of this, as he was the con- tact point on behalf of the Office of the Prime Minister to set up a meeting. The recording also revealed that Fenech instructed Theuma to warn Mario Degorgio, the broth- er of Alfred and George Degorgio, that Vince Muscat was talking to the police. Theuma proceeded to inform him. Theuma was so worried about what Muscat was revealing that he went out, got drunk, and fell asleep till the afternoon and was not responding any messages. Inspector Farrugia explained that, since he was not responding, two people, Johann Cremona and Kenneth Camilleri, went to Theu- ma's residence to attempt to calm him down after panicking that Vince Muscat was talking to the police. At the end of the sitting, Inspec- tor Farrugia read from the tran- script in the constitutional case before Lawrence Mintoff. He said that when Schembri was asked if he had sent Kenneth Camilleri to speak with Theuma, Schembri re- plied "never". However, during his interroga- tion, Camilleri had told the police that he had been sent by Schem- bri. In the previous sitting, Camil- eri had also testified this. The case will resume on 1 April. Schembri is being represented by lawyers Mark Vassallo and Edward Gatt, while Superinten- dent Hubert Cini and Inspector Shaun Paul Friggieri are leading the prosecution. Lawyer Jason Azzopardi together with Therese Comodini Cachia are appearing parte civile. Keith Schembri walking out of court (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) A rapidly deteriorating collapsed road in St Paul's Bay has been subject to crit- icism and mockery, with a few residents calling it St Paul's Crater. The road in question is Triq il-Ġwiebi which is just behind the Empire Cinema Complex. One resident told this newspaper that in December 2023, the crater was only a pothole, but around October 2024 it had grown significantly. In a post on Tuesday, resident Ben Tom joked, "When it finally reaches the other side of the road we should consider of- ficially inaugurating it, any volunteers to do refreshments?" Speaking to MaltaToday, St Paul's Bay mayor Ċensu Galea said that "St Paul's Crater" is the worst of nine roads in the locality that require serious interven- tions. Another similar issue can be found on Triq Bordino, which has caught the attention of Arnold Cassola's Citizen Watch. Galea said that although fixing pot- holes does fall under the local council's responsibility, the damage cannot be fixed by resurfacing works. He explained that the roads in question were built on clay foundations, and are prone to collapse due to the heavy vehi- cles that drive on the roads every day. Galea explained that the local council had reached out to Infrastructure Malta last September. According to the mayor, Infrastruc- ture Malta asked the local council about which of the nine roads require immedi- ate attention, and the local council high- lighted Triq il-Ġwiebi and Triq Bordino. 'St Paul's Crater' - Residents poke fun at ever-worsening collapsed road The road is one of many that have been deteriorating for months