Yorgen Fenech, the man accused of masterminding the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, had listed Keith Schembri as his friend when he faced cocaine possession charges in the USA in 2019.

Fenech had been caught with over 8 grammes of cocaine at an airport. He had told customs officers that he was travelling for stress therapy, later saying it was for a rehabilitation programme from substance abuse.

Fenech had, according to news reports, pleaded guilty to the charges, and was later released under court order, made to undertake treatment for substance abuse. He was then reported to have been sentenced to serve 30 days in the Harris County Jail.

The document regarding Fenech's arrest was obtained by the Daphne Foundation in a Freedom of Information request.

Schembri is the former Chief of Staff of Joseph Muscat. Recent testimony in court saw police investigator Kurt Zahra say that Yorgen Fenech had pointed the finger at Keith Schembri over the murder. Zahra testified that Fenech had told police that it was Schembri who had wanted to 'get rid of' Caruana Galizia and that Schembri would go almost every day to Fenech and say that Daphne Caruana Galizia needed to be killed.