Yorgen Fenech’s defence team will be summoning former prime minister Joseph Muscat and his chief of staff Keith Schembri as witnesses in his murder trial, MaltaToday reports.

Fenech is pleading not guilty to being a mastermind in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The journalist was killed in a car bomb four years ago.

The report says Muscat will be summoned to testify about the pardon given to the self-confessed middleman in the murder, Melvin Theuma, who was pardoned in return for information about the murder in November 2019.

Schembri’s name was mentioned by Fenech to the police after his request for a pardon was rejected by Cabinet. Fenech implicated the former OPM chief of staff as the mastermind behind a letter implicating former economy minister Chris Cardona in the Caruana Galizia murder.

Cardona, who was later mentioned in court as the mastermind behind an aborted attempt to kill Caruana Galizia in 2015, is also expected to be summoned to the witness stand by the defence, the report says. Cardona has denied the claims.

Former deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta is also expected to be summoned to testify.

The bill of indictment against Fenech was filed last month, bringing an end to the compilation of evidence. However, the compilation can reopen if new evidence emerges.