The pardoned middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder will continue testifying on Friday during the trial of four men accused of the murders of Caruana Galizia and lawyer Carmel Chircop.
The accused-brothers Robert and Adrian Agius, known as the 'Ta' Maksar' brothers, along with Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio-appeared in court on Wednesday as jurors were empanelled.
Adrian Agius, known as Tal-Maksar, is charged with commissioning the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in Birkirkara in October 2015. Jamie Vella and George Degiorgio are accused with executing Chircop's murder. Degiorgio is accused of executing the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in separate proceedings that started in December 2017.
Vella and Robert Agius-Adrian's younger brother-are accused of complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia by supplying the bomb that killed her.
The trial marks a significant milestone in the Caruana Galizia murder case, which has been ongoing for years following her murder in 2017.
Prosecutors Godwin Cini, Danika Vella and Anthony Vella are representing the attorney general's office.
The defence lawyers are Nicholas Mifsud for Adrian Agius, Ishmael Psaila and Amadeus Cachia for Jamie Vella, Alfred Abela and Rene Darmanin for Robert Agius, and Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri for George Degiorgio.
Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are assisting the Caruana Galizia family, while Vince Galea is assisting the Chircop family.
17:54
That is all for today.
17:51 Matthew Caruana Galizia is next to take the witness stand.
Matthew says that on 16 October, his father left the house early for work and that his mother woke up shortly after, he says she prepared coffee and something to eat. After they both started working, he says he was very busy so he was not paying attention to what she was doing, but he remembers she got a phone call from the bank because she had a meeting at the bank, and she was late, but assured them that she was coming back.
After handing up, she walked out of the house but shortly came back in because she had forgotten her husband's chequebook and left again.
Matthew explains how shortly after, he heard a loud explosion. He says he realised it was something bad because "it was louder than just a firework or a shotgun".
He recounted how he had jumped out of the chair, walked out of the house and opened the front gate. He remembers seeing black smoke, running into the main road, and when he got there saw fire on the road, flames, pieces of metal, pieces of plastic, a piece of flesh and was in a state of confusion.
He couldn't see his mother's car anywhere, and when he tried calling her, Daphne's phone went straight to voicemail.
He remembers running towards the large fire in the road, and when he saw hubcaps which he noticed were of a Peugeot car, and then saw part of the number plate, realised it was his mother's car.
He says he saw a black shadow, which he thought was his mother. He then started looking for a stick so that he could open the door to get his mother out, but as he was searching, he saw a leg, and from the colour of the skin, knew it was his mother's. He started shouting to call 112, explaining that he was in a state of shock.
Matthew explains how police and fire engines started arriving on the scene of the murder. He also recalls how he was so angry that he snatched a phone from Mario Vella who was taking photos. He started calling his family members including Paul, his brother, who lived abroad, he told him had to come to Malta.
He explains how when first responders started showing up, everyone was in shock with what had just happened.
17:24: Next to take the witness stand is the Daphne’s husband Peter.
Peter Caruana Galizia says he had left early that morning leaving his wife sleeping. He said he had a client in the afternoon so he was not on his phone, and explains that his son called his secretary saying that he thinks there was a bomb.
They both worked at Valetta and Peter explains that they left and went home and once they arrived, they saw a lot of police and white sheets on the floor. He says they later discovered that they were covering pieces of the body.
Police inspector Kurt Zahra, had gone to Peter Caruana Galizia, and Peter’s first question was “mietet?” (did she die?)
Prosecution lawyer asks what happened day before, and he explains that he used to go out with the bicycle on Sundays, and Daphne was having a coffee at Naxxar.
Peter says that when he arrived at home, he and his son went with his car at Naxxar next to Daphne, they took a coffee and ate something and then went to Floriana. He explains that he and Daphne went with his car and Matthew had to meet up with some friends and took his mother’s car. He met them later in Floriana.
17:15: On October 16, 2017, Andrew Caruana Galizia was at work in his role as a diplomat with the Foreign Office when he received a phone call from his brother. His brother told him, “There’s been an explosion.” When Andrew asked where it had occurred, the reply came: “In our mother’s car.”
Growing increasingly concerned, Andrew also attempted to call his mother, but she didn’t answer. A deep sense of dread set in, and fearing the worst, he began looking online for information. He soon came across a news report about an explosion that had taken place in Bidnija.
17:12: Next witness is Andrew Caruana Galizia, Daphne’s son, and he chooses to testify using the English language.
16:56: Lawyer Amadeus Cachia asks Theuma if he confirms that he never spoke with Vince Muscat with regards to the murder of Caruana Galizia. Melvin confirms.
Cachia asks if Theuma knew what Vince Muscat's job was and Theuma replies saying he was unemployed. The lawyer then asks if he knew he gambled illegal money at the casino. Melvin says yes, saying that Muscat had a bad habit.
Cachia then asks Theuma if he ever talked to Jamie Vella and if he was ever mentioned by Yorgen Fenech. Theuma replies to both questions in the negative.
The lawyer asks if he remembers how long he had waited for the pardon. Theuma explains that it took days of interrogations, after which Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra wrote a paper and passed it to the prime minister. This took 10 days in total for the pardon to take effect.
The lawyer asks once again if he knows Jamie Vella and if his name was ever mentioned. Once again, Theuma confirms he never did.
There are no further questions from the lawyers. Theuma exits the court room.
16:05: One of the reserve jurors is feeling sick. A doctor has arrived to check on him.
The sitting will be suspended until 4:30pm.
15:59: Yorgen Fenech asked Melvin Theuma to meet him next to the Blue Elephant a few weeks leading up to the news that an election will be taking place.
Darmanin asks him if he ever said “Listen, don’t worry because the €150,000 is already on me”. Theuma denies that he said this.
The lawyer asks if, when he used to go to the potato shed, he ever saw the Maksar brothers and if Alfred Degiorgio ever introduced him to the Maksars, but Theuma insists that he never saw them and says that he only know the nickname “tal-Maksar”.
Darmanin then asks him if he knew that she was going to be killed with a bomb. Theuma says that he was never told in which way she will be killed. Darmanin says Vince Muscat told them otherwise, but Theuma insists and sticks to his previous answer.
The lawyer again repeats himself, saying that one of the witnesses has to be lying. Theuma answers back saying that its up to the judge to decide who’s lying.
Darmanin says that maybe he’s saying this because Vince Muscat is not present. Theuma instantly replies back: “I'll confront him face to face”.
The lawyer asks Theuma if he knew what car Caruana Galizia used to drive, as Vince Muscat told them that while Melvin used to watch out for her car, but Theuma denies this too.
15:50: Rene Darmanin, representing Robert Agius, asks Theuma if he spoke to Alfred Degiorgio at the potato shed in Malta. This is what Vince Muscat had said.
Theuma denies this and says that he never even met Vince Muscat.
Darmanin insists that one of them is lying and Theuma says it is up to the judge and to see who is lying.
15:44: The lawyers have spent the past hours going through transcripts of the texts between Theuma and Fenech. He reads through some of them, most of which are just texts of comfort or anxiety.
The prosecution asks Theuma at what point did he realise that he was part of a plot to kill a mother. He replies that it was on the day of her murder. "We did not let her live her whole life. We killed her," he says.
The prosecution asks Theuma if he has any other comments he wants to make. He replies: "Nothing, I just want to apologise to all her family."
15:32 We are back following the proceedings after a lengthy break. Melvin Theuma's testimony will start again soon.
12:58: The session is being suspended until 3pm. We will continue reporting when the court is back in session.
12:58: Theuma says that on one occasion, Yorgen Fenech gave him a piece of meat, which immediately raised his suspicions. Fearing it might have been laced with poison, Theuma chose not to eat it and threw it away instead. According to Theuma, Fenech was disappointed about this.
Theuma is recounting another incident in which he brought bread to Yorgen Fenech's ranch and caught a glimpse of then-deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta standing just behind the door, appearing to keep out of sight.
Days after the visit, Fenech informed Theuma that Valletta had in fact recognised him during the brief encounter. Theuma tells the court he believed Valletta was intentionally trying to avoid being seen, possibly as a way of offering discreet support. He says he shared this interpretation with Fenech at the time.
12:44: Another message was read out, one he had referenced in his testimony the day before. The message, written in Maltese, included a clear mention of the Maksar gang and a bomb in their Żebbug garage. Theuma interpreted the message as an instruction to pass on a verbal message to the Maksar group at their garage.
Theuma told the court that the message left him puzzled, firstly because it was written in the plural form, and secondly because, at the time, he didn't know who the Maksar brothers were or where their garage was located. He also said the message suggested that Vince Muscat had already informed police of the Maksar gang's involvement in the bomb plot.
12:38 More messages between Yorgen Fenech and Melvin Theuma are being presented, focusing largely on their shared anxiety. The content revealed that both men were struggling to sleep and were concerned that their partners might become entangled in the ongoing investigation.
12:11 Melvin Theuma reads out messages between himself and Yorgen Fenech, with Theuma expressing his worries and saying that he is fed up. He reads out one particular message from Fenech: "If we keep focused, everything will pass, and I am always behind you".
Theuma says that Yorgen Fenech told him that Vince Muscat went to the police telling them what Theuma did. But Theuma says that he did not believe him because he never even talked to Vince Muscat about the murder.
While reading out a message in which the Maksar brothers is mentioned, Theuma says that he never spoke to them and does not even know their names.
11:46 The court is back in session. Melvin Theuma is called back inside.
Theuma is being shown a series of pictures, one of which depicted a car he claims was used during a visit to Bidnija, where journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in 2017.
He is shown a second photo featuring a man standing beside the same car. Theuma recognises him as Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu. Muscat has already pleaded guilty to murdering Caruana Galizia.
10:54 A quick refresher on this allegation. In March 2021, Vincent Muscat told a court that the approach to murder Caruana Galizia was first made by lawyer David Gatt between 2014 and 2015, following which George Degiorgio had to meet former minister Chris Cardona. Muscat had said the price agreed for the murder was €150,000 with a €50,000 deposit, which, however, was never received. The plan was eventually abandoned because they were never paid until a fresh plan was concocted in 2017.
The Degiorgio brothers implicated Cardona again in 2021. They wrote a letter to the European Commission stating they have first-hand information about Cardona's involvement in a 2015 plot to assassinate Caruana Galizia.
Cardona had dismissed the claims as "blatant lies and full of inaccuracies, every single detail".
10:47 The prosecution asks the judge to suspend the session for a few minutes so that they can set up some documents, including pendrives. The court agrees.
The session is on break till 11.30am.
10:44 The prosecution asks Melvin Theuma if any political people were involved in the matter. He says Yorgen Fenech used to tell him that Chris Cardona, a former minister, was involved in some way and that he was in contact with Alfred Degiorgio. According to Theuma, Fenech used to tell him that Degiorgio advised Fenech to blame Cardona.
Theuma explains that he was scared that police would start investigating him for money laundering and would then find out about his involvement in the Caruana Galizia murder.
The prosecution is now asking about his arrest. Theuma says he was arrested on 14 November 2019. He says that, a few days before his arrest, he was being told that they'll arrest him, his daughter and his partner. He says Appoġġ took his son's child away. "What could happen that's worse than this?"
10:24 Theuma says Fenech had assured him of ongoing support, even telling him "I'll never let you suffer".
He says that he drove many times to the police headquarters to reveal everything he knew, but he felt that he had no backup. Everyone was telling him not to uncover anything and that Fenech is a powerful person.
Theuma also mentions that he called Matthew Caruana Galizia, Daphne's son, apologising for what happened.
10:13 Theuma says that, after showing him the pendrives, Fenech offered him items of significant value, including "hundred thousand [euro] in gold and watches". Fenech allegedly also discussed opening a gold shop in Valletta, suggesting an ongoing attempt to lure Theuma into his confidence.
However, Theuma made it clear that he ultimately returned everything to Fenech, stating that he wanted nothing in return. Asked why Fenech had given him these items, Theuma responds: "Because he knew I could uncover what he did regarding Daphne's killing."
10:09 Theuma is asked in court about what he used to do with the secret recordings he made of Yorgen Fenech. He says he used to transfer them onto the laptop. People, including his daughter and Johann Cremona, were aware of the recordings, he says.
Theuma says that the fear of being killed led him to a drastic decision: he collected the recordings onto USB pendrives and gave them directly to Yorgen Fenech. "I was scared," he says. "I feared Yorgen would kill me too - just like Daphne."
He recounts telling Fenech that the recordings would otherwise end up with the Nationalist Party in what appears to have been an attempt to dissuade Fenech from harming him. If anything happened to Theuma, the recordings could be made public. One of those recordings, now part of the case's key evidence, was also discussed in court. In it, Yorgen Fenech is heard telling Theuma that former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri had turned cold after learning what Fenech had done.
10:02 Theuma tells the court that the following day, he was at a garage with Johann Cremona when Kenneth Camilleri arrived unexpectedly. According to Theuma, Camilleri pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket with three mobile phone numbers written down. He then asked Theuma if he recognised any of them.
"I told him I didn't know two of them, but one of the numbers used to be mine a long time ago," Theuma says.
Camilleri's reaction, according to Theuma, was immediate and startling. "He told me there's a problem then, because that means you are the man behind Daphne's murder," Theuma says.
Theuma says he was struck with panic upon when he heard this, as he believed-and still believes-that the mastermind behind the murder was Yorgen Fenech. "I got a huge shock," Theuma says. "Because I've always said and believed that Yorgen Fenech is the mastermine."
Theuma says Johann Cremona appeared stunned and fell silent after hearing Camilleri's remark.
09:54 Melvin Theuma resumes his testimony, providing further details about a crucial message he claims he was asked to deliver.
During cross-examination, the prosecution reminded Theuma of a statement he made in court the previous day that Johann Cremona and Kenneth Camilleri had turned up at his door unexpectedly. Theuma confirmed that Kenneth Camilleri had spoken to him directly and delivered a message allegedly linked to an attempted resolution of the fallout from the murder plot.
According to Theuma, Camilleri told him that "a pledge would be given" and that each would receive one million euros. The implication, prosecutors argued, was that this message was meant to calm or reassure individuals connected to the murder case.
Theuma says he immediately acted on the message. That same night, he went to meet Mario Degiorgio, brother of two of the accused-George and Alfred Degiorgio-and passed on the information just as it was given to him.
09:42 The sitting has resumed, but the jurors are still not present.
Speaking in court, lawyer Ishmael Psaila stated that at this point, he does not oppose the resumption of the jury. He noted that anyone involved must understand the situation and that he must have peace of mind that this is a fair and proper process.
Meanwhile, the court has issued a €1,000 fine to the alternate juror who was caught using a tablet during the trial, in a breach of courtroom protocol and jury conduct rules.
09:29 The court is briefly suspended so that the documents presented by Bajada can be reviewed properly.
09:21 Court expert Martin Bajada is testifying first, without the jury present. He's testifying about one of the reserve jurors who was caught with a tablet, in breach of court rules.
According to Bajada, the juror in question had accessed several news websites-including Newsbook, Times of Malta, and Net News-as well as the AI chatbot ChatGPT to gather information related to the case or seek guidance on jury responsibilities.
Bajada presented court documents that he claims substantiate these allegations, pointing to digital logs and content viewed by the juror.
In addition to web browsing, Bajada said the juror had been in contact with his son during this time. While some of the messages exchanged were of a general nature, Bajada noted that at least part of the conversation directly referenced the jury and the ongoing case.
09:16 Good morning and welcome to today's live blog. Today, pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma is expected to continue his testimony against the men charged with involvement in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder.