Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546398
CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 He said the journalist had been watched for weeks and that the original method was to shoot her. By 2017, according to Mus- cat, the plan had shifted to a bomb. He also said the hit- men insisted on an upfront deposit because they did not want a repeat of the failed 2015 arrangement. The judge also revisit- ed Muscat's evidence that the Degiorgio brothers had heard rumours of an im- pending arrest on 4 Decem- ber 2017, with that infor- mation allegedly coming through Theuma. George and Alfred Degiorgio Grima then moved through evidence given by George Degiorgio, who said he re- ceived €10,000 from the de- posit but did not know where the money had come from. Degiorgio had claimed that the same people involved in the alleged 2015 plot were also involved in 2017, while referring to further promised benefits. The judge also recalled Al- fred Degiorgio's testimony, in which he said from the witness stand that he had no doubt Keith Schembri, Da- vid Gatt and Chris Cardona were involved in the murder, although he declined to elab- orate. Edgar Brincat and fears over Theuma speaking out A substantial part of the day's review concerned Ed- gar Brincat, il-Gojja, who de- scribed Theuma as someone extremely close to him. Brincat testified that Theu- ma told him he was involved in the murder and that Yor- gen Fenech had given him the money. According to Brincat, Theuma also told him about recordings and said he want- ed to go to the police. Brin- cat said he discouraged him, fearing the consequences and saying he did not trust the police at the time. He also recalled Theuma saying he obtained further money from Fenech for the Degiorgio brothers and would turn to Keith Schem- bri when Fenech could not be reached. Brincat said he had never caught Theuma lying about anyone and denied forcing him to write the letter nam- ing Fenech and Schembri. Lawrence Cutajar and the recordings The evidence recap then turned to former police com- missioner Lawrence Cutajar. Cutajar testified that he re- ceived investigation updates from Silvio Valletta, and that he knew both Theuma and Brincat from the Marsa race- track. He acknowledged meet- ing Brincat and asking him about Theuma's recordings, but denied leaking investiga- tive information or arrang- ing Theuma's presidential pardon. Search at Keith Schembri's home One of the more striking investigative issues revisit- ed during the day was the search at Keith Schembri's residence. Several SOCO officers had testified that they were in- structed to seize only the devices Schembri himself pointed out to them. Michelle Camilleri said Schembri moved through the property while officers followed him and collect- ed the devices he identified, leaving others behind. Gary Scerri went further, saying what took place "was not a search" in the ordinary sense, because officers were not independently searching the house but merely collect- ing what they were shown. Schembri, in his own tes- timony, gave a different ac- count and claimed officers had turned his home upside down. Peter and Matthew Caruana Galizia Later in the day, Grima re- turned to evidence from the Caruana Galizia family. Peter Caruana Galizia had recalled reaching Bidnija and asking Inspector Kurt Zahra whether Daphne had died, receiving the answer: "Yes, she died." The judge then revisited Matthew Caruana Galizia's testimony. Matthew, one of the first people at the blast scene, told the court how that day changed his life completely and how he later set aside his career to dedicate himself to seeking justice. Grima also recalled his work with his mother on the Panama Papers, 17 Black and Electrogas. Logan Wood and the departure from Portomaso Jurors were also reminded of the testimony of Logan Wood, captain of Fenech's yacht. Wood said that on the morning of Fenech's arrest he was instructed to switch off the AIS tracker and make sure "the coast was 100% clear" before leaving Porto- maso. He also confirmed that one of his tasks was to hide cash for Fenech. However, he maintained that he and Fenech never discussed the Caruana Gal- izia case: "We just used to speak about boats." Adrian Vella and the days before Fenech's arrest One of the final major blocks revisited by Grima concerned doctor Adrian Vella. Vella testified about Fenech's condition in the days before his arrest, a stay in Gozo and his contacts with Keith Schembri. He said that on one occa- sion he handed Fenech pa- pers obtained from Schem- bri and heard him say: "It can't be. If I go down, they go down with me." Vella also testified that Fenech expected Schembri to help him and said he was prepared to "drag him down with me." Theuma returns to the centre of the case Towards the end of the day, the judge began placing Melvin Theuma's evidence back before the jury. Theuma testified that Fenech approached him at the Blue Elephant and asked whether he knew George Degiorgio because he want- ed Daphne Caruana Galizia killed. He said that after the 2017 general election Fenech handed him €150,000 in three envelopes and told him to proceed with the murder. Theuma also claimed that Fenech warned him in ad- vance about a police raid on the hitmen and referred to the message used to trigger the bomb. Grima further recalled con- frontations involving Theu- ma and Kenneth Camill- eri, as well as Theuma and George Degiorgio, where sharply conflicting accounts emerged over who had sent whom and who stood behind the plot. The judge's address is still not complete. Jurors have therefore still not retired to deliberate, as Grima continues work- ing through the large body of evidence and competing versions that they will ul- timately have to assess for themselves. YORGEN FENECH TRIAL TUESDAY • 2 SEPTEMBER 2026 | maltatoday Judge Edwina Grima reviews evidence on murder plots, Keith Schembri and police investigation Alleged murder mastermind Yorgen Fenech at the Portomaso Marina (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)