Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546491
YORGEN FENECH TRIAL SUNDAY • 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 | maltatoday CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 At Castille, the prime min- ister's top advisors told Abe- la to be cautious and avoid a knee-jerk reaction. With the Fenech defence team set on portraying for- mer prime minister Joseph Muscat's chief of staff Keith Schembri as the mind behind the plot, Abela's advisors were aware any rushed re- action would set the public's sight on his administration. Abela had been legal adviser to the disgraced prime min- ister who resigned after the revelations his chief of staff was in cahoots with Fenech. He also sat in some Cabinet meetings. Before the shocking unan- imous decision by jury, the idea in Abela's inner strategy group was for him to kick- start a discussion to raise the need for more institutional reforms. But his advisers told him that they would be mis- construed if he announced them at this juncture. "There was and is too much noise, and any message would be lost in the clutter," a close aide told MaltaToday. Previously his advisers had warned him the conviction of Yorgen Fenech would be the best scenario but not the end to an assault on government. They had warned the prime minister it would naturally embolden the Opposition and the so-called "Daphne lobby" to continue hitting out at government. But the acquittal led to un- precedented circumstances and presented Abela with his biggest challenge ever. This was a nightmare come true and everyone in his close- knit group knew that there was little room for manoeu- vre. Ministers brace for impact Senior ministers who spoke with MaltaToday said gov- ernment's image had already taken a hit with pro-longed power cuts during summer heatwaves. "We were already facing accusations of being slow, lethargic and indifferent, this will put more pressure on us," a cabinet member told this newspaper. Another minister said gov- ernment can do little right now to address the anger. "The prosecution of Fenech was not in our hands, we had no say in it. On the contra- ry, the prosecution and po- lice were very much in the synch with the Caruana Gal- izia family and their lawyers. But the defence managed to sow doubt. We have a prob- lem and that is how to detach ourselves completely from Keith Schembri. That will not be easy, he was effective- ly the Labour government from 2013 until 2019," an- other minister said. Problems, some ministers feel, are compounded by ris- ing global fuel prices. "I cannot see how we can put a lid on this. We have a difficult fiscal year in front of us with rising fuel prices and a very serious international crisis. This acquittal is go- ing to take up our time and we are not going to be able to talk about other things," they said. Castille is hoping blunders by Opposition leader Alex Borg could help in giving government some breathing space on the issue. Just hours after the acquittal Borg raced to accuse Labour adminis- trations in having a hand in planning the murder. During the 2026 general election campaign, Borg did not once refer to the murder of Caruana Galizia or refer to corruption scandals. This was intentional, aiming to embrace the vote of individ- uals who had grown tired of the Nationalist Party's cam- paigning on rule-of-law and corruption. But this time, the whole episode may merit a change in tactics. The acquittal has rocked the whole country and opens an opportunity for the Nationalist Party to strike at Abela and accuse him of being complicit in a cover up. Sources are in agreement the way both sides of the po- litical aisle will react to the shock acquittal will deter- mine their futures. Prime minister's top advisors told Abela to be cautious and avoid a knee-jerk reaction Top: Prime Minister Robert Abela holds a press conference the day after Yorgen Fenech was acquitted (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Auberge de Castille in Valletta, Malta