Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545999
3 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 29 JULY 2026 NEWS of a chief of staff they were to confiscate from his house Camilleri says it was Schem- bri, who indicated his children's laptops, prompting De Marco to remark that "the suspect" was indicating devices of per- sons, who were not suspects, while claiming to have lost his own mobile phone. De Marco then zooms in on one of the photos Camilleri had taken of a laptop. "There are two phones visible there but these were not confiscated," the lawyer remarks. Camilleri, visibly uncomforta- ble and in a tone that suggests frustration with the orders giv- en to them at the time, replies: "They were not collected be- cause Keith Schembri did not indicate them." Schembri's privileges Whether Camilleri's testi- mony has any bearing on the Yorgen Fenech case remains to be seen but what it definitely shows is the reverential manner by which Keith Schembri was handled by investigators. The former chief of staff, who had no qualms furthering his personal business interests, while occupying an important and influential role in govern- ment, was afforded privileges other suspects do not normally enjoy. Schembri was allowed to have his lawyers present when fo- rensic officers searched his house. But significantly, he was allowed to indicate which de- vices should be collected for examination—a privilege no other suspect is ever afforded because it defies logic and good practice. Camilleri's testimony sim- ply strengthened the impres- sion that Schembri's influence across government was all-en- compassing. The lost mobile phone The afternoon search at Keith Schembri's house on 26 No- vember 2019 was the second of the day. At around 6:30am, police officers had turned up at the Mellieħa villa to arrest Schembri and interrogate him over claims made by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech, who was in police custody. Fenech had implicated Schem- bri in the plot to murder Caru- ana Galizia and in a subsequent attempt to pin the murder on then Economy Minister Chris Cardona. The police eventually proceeded to arrest Schembri on the morning of 26 Novem- ber, the same day he resigned from chief of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister. The night before Schem- bri had a meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the latter's house in Burmarrad. Muscat would later say the two discussed Schembri's resigna- tion. Upon his arrest, Schembri was asked to hand over his mobile phone. However, he informed the officers that he had lost it. A cellular technology expert would later confirm that the last signal from Schembri's device was emitted at around 5:04am on 26 November 2019 in Mellieħa—some 90 minutes before the arrest. It was never switched on again. Meanwhile, the morning search of Schembri's house was carried out by only two police officers with Arnaud testifying in court that investigators had been sent home to rest because they had had a long day. Schembri was held in po- lice custody for 48 hours dur- ing which he was interrogated about the murder. He denied Fenech's claims and was re- leased with no charge. In a rare statement about an individu- al suspect, the police had said Schembri was being released following "intensive investiga- tions". "At this stage, the police do not feel the need to detain Mr Schembri under arrest for any longer," the statement read. Schembri was never charged with involvement in Caruana Galizia's murder but in 2024, following the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry, he was charged with breaching the Of- ficial Secrets Act and perjury. Schembri was accused of leak- ing sensitive information from the Caruana Galizia murder investigation to Yorgen Fenech in the aftermath of the assassi- nation. Schembri is pleading not guilty and the case is ongoing. The former chief of staff, who had no qualms furthering his personal business interests, while occupying an important and influential role in government, was afforded privileges other suspects do not normally enjoy CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 THE confrontation prompt- ed a lengthy legal argument outside the presence of ju- rors, with the defence ac- cusing the court of poten- tially influencing jurors by suggesting it did not believe Cremona's latest testimony. Defence lawyers warned they would seek the dis- charge of the jury if the sit- uation continued. The prosecution, howev- er, argued that Cremona was clearly frightened and withholding information, insisting the court had act- ed appropriately. Judge Grima ultimately rejected the defence's ob- jection, ruling that she had acted within the powers granted to her under the Criminal Code. She also refused the prosecution's request for Cremona to un- dergo a psychological as- sessment and be placed on suicide watch. In the final stages of the confrontation, prosecu- tor Godwin Cini remind- ed Cremona that, during his earlier testimony, he had pointed at defence lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran and warned him: "You'd better not open your mouth." Asked why, Cremona re- plied: "I was angry." He then became emotion- al, telling the court: "I'm the victim in all this. The way they started attacking me... I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like a failure." He said he had tried to build a small business, but it collapsed, leaving him in debt. When asked why he had earlier said he had 'no one left in this world', Cremona replied: "Because everyone betrays you." Cini urged him to tell the jury the truth and finally put the matter behind him. Instead, Cremona replied: "I'll carry it on my own. I won't listen to anyone any- more." He then burst into tears. Cremona also said that he has an appointment with a psychiatrist tomorrow be- cause he is "not well." Asked who he feared, he gave the day's most striking answer: "I fear only God." He concluded by telling the court that since his fa- ther's death on 16 May 2019, he has not been able to laugh with his friends. Before the dramatic con- frontation with Johann Cremona, Keith Schembri spent several hours on the witness stand, denying a se- ries of allegations connect- ed to the case. He insisted that he never leaked confidential infor- mation about the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder in- vestigation, rejecting claims that he informed Yorgen Fenech of planned police raids or other investiga- tive developments. Asked how the hitmen could have known in advance about the potato shed raids, Schembri said he did not know and maintained that he had nev- er shared that information with anyone. Schembri also gave de- tailed evidence about his re- lationship with Fenech, say- ing he had known him since they were both teenagers. He described Fenech as one of Malta's leading busi- nessmen at the time and said they occasionally met to discuss business, family matters and even whisky. Turning to 17 Black and his Panama company Till- gate, Schembri confirmed that Tillgate belonged to him but denied ever hav- ing any arrangement with 17 Black. He said 17 Black had merely been listed as a potential future client, as part of business plans, he hoped to pursue after leav- ing politics. He also denied ever discussing 17 Black with Fenech after Daphne Caruana Galizia published an article about it in Febru- ary 2017. Schembri further testified that he only attended meet- ings at Castille about the murder investigation brief- ly, saying he would ensure everything was in order be- fore leaving the investiga- tors to continue their work. The proceedings are set to continue today at 9:30am with Keith Schembri's tes- timony. 'I'm the victim in all this' - Cremona