Police on Thursday detailed the investigation into self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma's finances and the evidence recovered following his arrest, with jurors shown photographs of hundreds of thousands of euros in cash, gold, jewellery and other items seized during searches of his properties.

Police Superintendent Nicholas Vella on Thursday resumed his testimony in the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech, with proceedings focusing largely on the police investigation into middleman Melvin Theuma, his arrest, the evidence recovered from his possession, and his financial affairs.

During a lengthy cross-examination by defence lawyer Gianella de Marco, Vella was then questioned on Theuma's assets, the investigation into his wealth and the handling of his "phantom job".

Theuma is the self-confessed middleman in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech, 44, has pleaded not guilty to two principal charges: complicity in the wilful homicide of Caruana Galizia and criminal association to commit the murder.

Vella explained that, after spending almost two months gathering intelligence on Theuma's financial affairs through local banks and the tax authorities, with assistance from the Malta Security Service, he requested the opening of a magisterial inquiry. Duty Magistrate Gabriella Vella subsequently appointed experts and issued arrest warrants, culminating in Theuma's arrest on 16 November, 2019.

The superintendent testified that police had been monitoring Theuma's illegal betting operation in Marsaskala. When intelligence suggested he was preparing to move his activities elsewhere, officers decided to bring forward the arrest by several days. After tracking his movements, police intercepted him at his residence in Żurrieq before carrying out searches of his vehicle, home and other properties.

One of the first issues that arose after the arrest concerned a plastic ice-cream container that Theuma insisted was "vital" and had to remain with him at all times.

Vella said police agreed to keep the container sealed inside an evidence bag while ensuring it remained in Theuma's possession throughout the initial stages of the investigation.

Police later opened the sealed container in Theuma's presence after he had retained lawyer Matthew Brincat with the assistance of Kathleen Grima. The process was filmed and shown to jurors. Inside the container investigators found two Samsung mobile phones, a Philips voice recorder, USB drives and a bundle of documents that included printed screenshots of conversations with Yorgen Fenech as well as the well-known photograph showing Theuma alongside former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri inside Castille.

Vella explained that police follow strict forensic procedures whenever mobile phones are seized. Devices are immediately placed inside Faraday bags, preventing them from connecting to networks and ensuring that data cannot be remotely altered or erased before forensic examination.

He also described the extensive searches conducted following Theuma's arrest. Officers recovered a Toyota, a Mercedes and a Jaguar, together with electronic devices and substantial amounts of cash. Around €112,000 was found at the Qormi home of the daughter of Theuma's partner, while more than €550,000 was discovered at Theuma's residence in Żurrieq. Police also recovered smaller sums from his partner, while €132,445 found at her mother's residence was eventually released after documentation showed it had been inherited.

The court heard that four members of Theuma's family were subsequently charged with illegal gambling offences, while proceedings involving his partner and her daughter have since concluded with guilty verdicts.

The daughter's partner still faces ongoing proceedings. Vella also confirmed that a separate investigation into Theuma's government "phantom job" resulted in charges against five people, including Fenech and Keith Schembri. However, all were acquitted after Theuma refused to testify, with the prosecution appealing that judgment.

The defence began its cross-examination by focusing on Theuma's finances. De Marco noted that investigators had concluded within weeks that Theuma had engaged in money laundering and tax evasion.

Vella explained that Jobsplus records initially showed Theuma employed in a government position before that employment became the subject of the phantom job investigation. Although uncertain about the precise job title, Vella said Theuma's registration as a taxi driver had automatically ceased because the Jobsplus system does not allow two full-time employments simultaneously. He stressed this did not mean Theuma had stopped operating taxis.

The defence then examined the apparent discrepancy between Theuma's declared income and his property portfolio. Vella testified that between 2006 and 2018 Theuma had declared approximately €250,000 in income, averaging around €22,000 annually.

While de Marco suggested investigators had identified around 20 properties, Vella insisted the documentation referred to transactions rather than properties still owned by Theuma. He maintained investigators had confirmed ownership of 11 properties. After further questioning, he accepted that records listed 19 properties or transactions connected to Theuma at different stages, noting that some had already been sold or transferred.

Questioning also turned to Theuma's family and his illegal lottery operation. Vella said Theuma's partner was not employed but occasionally helped with the betting operation. Her daughter and the daughter's partner, Ryan Farrugia, also assisted by collecting bets and money from punters. Vella nevertheless rejected the defence's suggestion that the operation functioned as a full-time family business, insisting Theuma's principal occupation remained taxi driving.

The defence also questioned Vella about the treatment of Theuma's assets after his arrest. He confirmed that while certain vehicles were eventually released following orders by the inquiring magistrate, police had initially retained them because electronic data still needed to be extracted. Rather than seizing immovable property, investigators obtained freezing orders preventing Theuma from disposing of his assets. Vella also testified that approximately €1.2 million had passed through Theuma's various bank accounts, together with the substantial amounts of cash recovered during searches.

Vella recalled Sandro Craus arranging for Theuma to visit Keith Schembri's office at Castille, where the well-known photograph of the two men together was taken. He maintained that although Theuma never actually reported for work, he had gone through a genuine recruitment process, attended an interview and ranked first among the applicants.

Before stepping down from the witness stand, Vella answered several questions from jurors, who asked whether the money laundering investigation had been used as a strategy to gain access to the murder middleman.

Vella replied that he had never been informed of such a strategy "in black and white", although Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud had conveyed this to him verbally.

Jurors also questioned Vella about Theuma's now infamous ice cream container, asking whether police had checked if it contained anything dangerous before allowing him to keep it following his arrest.

Vella said officers had asked Theuma whether there was anything hazardous inside and accepted that they had taken him at his word when he replied there was not. When asked by a juror whether that amounted to taking a risk, Vella simply replied: "Yes."

The afternoon sitting shifted from Vella's testimony to a succession of police officers and forensic photographers who presented evidence gathered during searches carried out after Theuma's arrest, including photographs showing the large amounts of cash recovered from his properties.

Police Constable Daniel Formosa presented photographs of evidence recovered from the residence of the partner of the daughter of Theuma's partner.

Sergeant Abigail Grech, also a forensic photographer, confirmed taking 155 photographs of cash, certificates, contracts and other documents linked to the investigation, before photographing a further 305 exhibits recovered from Theuma's Żurrieq residence. She also confirmed photographing evidence at Bank of Valletta's Marsa branch in Theuma's presence.

Sergeant Christian Mintoff, a photographer with the Police Force's Forensic Unit, presented photographs taken during searches at Theuma's residence in Żurrieq following his arrest in November 2019. The images showed large amounts of cash, as well as gold, jewellery and several vehicles recovered from the property.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Charles Mercieca asked whether Theuma's partner had been present during the search. Mintoff confirmed that she had, adding that the cash had been found scattered across different rooms of the residence.

Police Constable Clayton Gatt later testified about documents recovered from a concealed compartment beneath the extractor hood in the kitchen of Theuma's Marsaskala residence.

Gatt told jurors that Theuma himself reached into the hiding place, retrieved the documents and handed them to investigators. He said he photographed the scene before the documents were passed on to Assistant Commissioner Arnaud.

Jurors also asked Gatt about receipts allegedly hidden in the same location, previously referred to during Arnaud's testimony.

Gatt replied that investigators always attempted to carry out thorough searches but accepted that some items might not be discovered immediately. He said officers had examined "every single piece of paper" they considered relevant during searches of the property, including notebooks recording gambling winnings.

Inspectors Charlo Casha and Brendan Cini outlined the forensic response at the Bidnija murder scene, with Casha describing how local experts, Dutch specialists, members of the Armed Forces of Malta and court-appointed experts worked together to preserve and collect evidence.

The court was also shown reports relating to DNA mouth swabs taken from Alfred and George Degiorgio, together with documentation recording the transfer of mobile phones, sealed in Faraday bags, to Europol and the Netherlands Forensic Institute for forensic examination.

Brandon Gili confirmed he had filmed and photographed the opening of Theuma's now well-known ice cream container at the request of the inquiring magistrate, documenting the removal of the seal before the contents were examined.

Further testimony from forensic photographers Lara Garcia and Graham Cassar Bonaci confirmed photographs taken during searches at Theuma's properties in Marsaskala, Żurrieq and Qormi.

The court adjourned proceedings until Friday morning, bringing to an end the longest sitting since the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech began.