Focus on Joseph Muscat in journalist’s assassination

Did the prime minister of Malta know who killed Daphne Caruana Galizia all along? And was his chief of staff involved in it?

Yes, according to statements made by accused mastermind Yorgen Fenech shortly after his arrest.

Inspector Kurt Zahra told the court that killing the journalist hadn’t been Fenech’s idea.

According to the accused mastermind, it was Keith Schembri, the former prime minister’s chief of staff, who told him to “find someone to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia”.

Fenech was central to the Electrogas deal involving three of Malta’s business families, as well as Azerbaijan’s SOCAR and Germany’s Siemens, that would see taxpayers pay “hand over fist” for energy supply guaranteed for 18 years.

Reports of kickbacks to those at the head of government have repeatedly surfaced. Daphne was investigating this deal before she was assassinated.

Schembri “wanted to get rid of” the journalist, Fenech said, because “she was a lot of trouble”.

When Fenech told him he’d found hitmen to do the job for €120,000, the former chief of staff replied, “mexxi, mexxi, mexxi” (‘go, go, go’), the police inspector told the court based on Fenech’s testimony.

“There were three persons who knew this after the murder…,” he said. “Joseph Muscat, Adrian Vella and Johann Cremona (who has links to Fenech’s casino empire)”.

Muscat was called to the police headquarters on 21 August to answer questions. He emerged from the depot nearly two hours later with his lawyer Pawlu Lia, telling journalists the police had assured him he was not a suspect.

The question is: does anyone believe that?

Read the full story here.