The Principal Permanent Secretary, Mario Cutajar, has confirmed that the middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, Melvin Theuma, was indeed employed by the government, only hours after he said that no record of his employment could be found.

Testifying in court on Wednesday morning, Theuma had said that he had been given a job with the government and received several cheques in spite of not working a single day.

He said that he had been given the job after agreeing to arrange the murder of the journalist, a job which was given to him after he met the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff Keith Schembri – a meeting arranged by one of the Prime Minister’s members of staff Sandro Craus.

The Principal Permanent Secretary’s office, which heads the civil service, had initially said that there were no records of him having such a job with the public service, but after paperwork showing the job with a government entity was published by Xarabank, Cutajar told Lovin Malta that the records had indeed been found and had been passed on to the police.

 

Cutajar said that he had checked the public service records but not those of the public sector as he was still awaiting a response from all public entities. He told Lovin Malta that he issued the statement saying that no records had been found on the advice of the Attorney General.

In a statement issued earlier in the day, the Principal Permanent Secretary's Office made reference to a letter published yesterday, in which it was alleged that Melvin Theuma claimed  former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri gave him a government job.

"Reference is being made to reports about a letter, allegedly written by Melvin Theuma, stating that he was given a government job. The Principal Permanent Secretary yesterday instructed the verification of all government employment records, wherefrom it resulted that Melvin Theuma's name was not amongst those of persons who had been employed in the Public Service."

"Today, all employment data is being verified afresh and all employment records have also been requested from all government entities. The verification results will be preserved so as to be available for ongoing or future investigations," the statement by the Principal Permanent Secretary's office read.

Xarabank, however, has published what is says is Melvin Theuma's employment contract as a driver/messenger with the Housing and Embellishment company. The full-time, indefinite contract is dated 1 May 2017. This was the day on which PM Joseph Muscat annoucned a snap election.

The unit falls under the Family Ministry, then headed by Minister Michael Farrugia. After the 2017 election, Farrugia was made minister responsible for the police. 

Melvin Theuma testified in court earlier today. Theuma told the court at one point that Yorgen Fenech informed him that he would be receiving a call from Castille. He told the court that a meeting was arranged and he went there to meet Keith Schembri, and a photo was taken together. Theuma said that he was informed that he was to be given a job with the government. Theuma told the court that he never went to work with the government but he started receiving cheques. He did not know where he was supposed to be working.