Former deputy police chief Silvio Valletta said Monday that he could not have refused to go on holiday with Yorgen Fenech because, by doing so, he would have “shown his hand” about the police investigation.

He also said that, with hindsight, maintaining his friendship with the 17 Black owner had harmed his career and the police force.

Testifying in the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry, Valletta said he had then Attorney General Peter Grech had advised him against acting on the Pilatus Bank case, telling him that one could not open a magisterial inquiry based on a blog post by the journalist. He also said he was not told that the owner of the bank, Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, had left the bank carrying a suitcase.

Valletta said it was Ian Abdilla, then head of the Economic Crimes Unit, who had told him that Yorgen Fenech was the owner of 17 Black. Abdilla would always tell him that concrete evidence was needed, Valletta added, continuing that the police could not use FIAU reports as evidence.

He said the police did not have sufficient resources to investigate the FIAU reports.

Valletta was then asked about claims that he had told Abdilla not to question Yorgen Fenech about his links to 17 Black. He said Keith Schembri had called him and asked: “Is that what you do? Investigate people on the basis of a simple news report?” 

Abdilla had told Valletta that he was investigating the 17 Black claims. He denied having spoken to Fenech on that day and insisted that he had never tried to stop Abdilla from investigating.

Lawyer Comodini Cachia pointed out that there were three witnesses who said that Valletta told them to turn back from questioning Fenech. "Could it be that Keith Schembri told you that Yorgen Fenech was unwell? Did you ask him how he knew that Yorgen Fenech was being investigated?"

Valletta said the it was “not likely” that Schembri had told him. In reply to the second question, he said he had not asked Schembri.

The OPM chief of staff would “occasionally” call him about work but never spoke to him about Konrad Mizzi or Joseph Muscat. "Keith Schembri would be present at Castille briefings on the murder, so he didn’t need to call me.”

He added that Schembri was the PM’s right hand man and he felt he “had to answer him.”

Valletta was then asked about his trips abroad with Fenech. On one occasion, they went to Kiev to see the Champions League final. Valletta said he could not refuse because he would have revealed his hand.

Valletta said he had wanted to pay but Fenech paid for everything. At the time, he said, he did not know about Fenech’s links to the journalist’s murder.

Asked if the 17 Black revelations were not enough for him to say no, Valletta said he did not feel comfortable saying no to the invite.

Valletta said he went to Fenech’s ranch around six times. He got to know Fenech in 2016, through a common friend – doctor Adrian Vella. "That’s how our friendship started but I swear on my two kids that I never spoke to Yorgen Fenech about the crime. Never, never. Not even about 17 Black."

He said he never told anyone about his friendship with Fenech but, “with hindsight, perhaps I was wrong in accepting the invitation.”

Fenech never asked him about police investigations so he felt there was nothing wrong. 

He said he never saw Melvin Theuma at the farmhouse and only knew him from the newspapers.

Replying to more questions, Valletta said it was not true that Fenech’s children called him ‘uncle.’

He said, however, that with hindsight, keeping up his friendship with Fenech harmed his career.

He denied having leaked information to Fenech. Asked if he agrees that this case had caused great harm to himself and to the police force, Valletta replied “yes.”

The inquiry will continue on Wednesday, when Nexia BT’s Brian Tonna and Karl Cini will give evidence.