Keith Schembri is at home and "has no reason to flee", his close colleague, Neville Gafa, has told The Malta Independent.

This newsroom earlier reported that both Schembri and Gafa were unreachable by phone. The Malta Independent wanted to ask Schembri about rumours that he has left the country.

Schembri's number is no longer available, as transmitted through the standard voice recording. 

Gafa could not be reached throughout the day. He called back in the evening, however, saying that he had likely hit a setting on his mobile phone, rendering it unreachable.

Replying to questions by this newsroom, Gafa insisted that Schembri was in Malta and at home.

"He is here and has no reason to escape," he said, adding that he had met Schembri at his home "over the past few hours."

Asked about reports that he had been at Castille before visiting Schembri, Gafa insisted that the visit was "purely on a personal friendship basis."

Schembri resigned from his post as the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff on Tuesday 26 November, and was taken in for questioning at the police headquarters the same day, in relation to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

On Thursday 28 November, Schembri was released, with the police saying it does not deem it necessary for him to remain under arrest.

Rumours that he had flown to Dubai on a private jet have been doing the rounds on social media. On Friday, TVM said it was informed that Schembri was in Malta.

Schembri has not been seen in public, or made any statements, since he was released by the police. 

Until Friday morning, no activity surrounded Schembri's house, and no obvious police presence was seen. However, on the same evening, Times of Malta reported that Gafa was seen outside Schembri's house and he told them Schembri was not there.

Gafa, a close friend of Schembri, is embroiled in the Libyan medical visas scandal.