A business associate of Yorgen Fenech told the jury on Tuesday that self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma consistently alleged that Fenech had ordered the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, while also describing meetings, phone calls and text exchanges involving OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri and security officer Kenneth Camilleri that took place in the period following the murder.

Johann Cremona was the latest witness to testify before Madam Justice Edwina Grima in the trial by jury of businessman Yorgen Fenech, who has pleaded not guilty to complicity in the wilful homicide of Caruana Galizia and to criminal association to commit the murder.

Caruana Galizia, a columnist with The Malta Independent, was killed in a car bomb on 16 October 2017. Five men have already been convicted in connection with the murder. Vince Muscat admitted his role in 2021 and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Alfred and George Degiorgio were each sentenced to 40 years after pleading guilty in 2022, while Robert Agius and Jamie Vella received life sentences in 2025 for supplying the bomb used in the attack.

Questioned by prosecutors, Cremona was repeatedly confronted with statements he had previously given during the compilation of evidence.

Early in his testimony, Cremona said he had first met Melvin Theuma around 2014 or 2015 after moving his business to Qormi, where Theuma would periodically collect rent cheques. He described their relationship as "normal".

The witness then recounted events in 2019 involving OPM security guard Kenneth Camilleri, whom he knew through his father. Cremona said Camilleri had asked him to drive him to meet Theuma at his residence after arranging the meeting by telephone. The following day, Camilleri and Theuma met again at Cremona's office, where the witness observed an argument between the two men before Theuma left angrily. Later, Cremona helped arrange another meeting between the pair at a cafeteria near Castille after Theuma requested Camilleri's mobile number.

Cremona testified that while he could not hear the private discussions, he overheard Theuma telling Camilleri to "see what you can do and tell them to sort out bail for the Degiorgio brothers", leading him to believe Camilleri was acting as a messenger.

Much of the prosecution's questioning centred on conversations Cremona said he had with Theuma over several months.

He told jurors that Theuma had repeatedly complained about being unable to contact Fenech when discussing money for Alfred and George Degiorgio, adding that whenever the subject of financing arose, Theuma referred to Fenech.

Asked whether Theuma had consistently identified the person who ordered the killing, Cremona replied: "He said Yorgen." He also recalled discussions about a €30,000 deposit, saying this was mentioned before the 2017 general election.

At another point, the witness recalled Theuma arriving at his garage looking distressed and telling him: "They betrayed me. Yorgen Fenech and Keith Schembri betrayed me."

Under further questioning, Cremona confirmed that Theuma had repeatedly alleged that Fenech had given the order to kill Caruana Galizia, while describing Theuma's mood as alternating between calmness and desperation.

The witness also described Theuma becoming increasingly anxious as media reports on the murder investigation intensified. According to Cremona, Theuma feared that "they would get rid of me", which he understood to mean that Theuma believed he might be killed, although Theuma never identified who he thought posed such a threat.

The prosecution questioned Cremona about Signal messages he had exchanged with Fenech after learning that Theuma was secretly recording conversations. Cremona confirmed that he had warned Fenech through the encrypted messaging application that Theuma was recording him, but said Fenech never replied.

Cremona also told jurors that he generally never discussed the murder case with Fenech, although he acknowledged there had been one conversation after developments emerged in the media. He said he could no longer remember the details of that exchange despite repeated prompting from prosecutors.

The witness said his first direct contact with former Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff Keith Schembri came in September 2019, when he was summoned to Castille. According to Cremona, they initially discussed gaming before Schembri asked whether Fenech had contacted him recently and requested to be informed if he did. He added that the pair later communicated through Signal, with Schembri regularly asking about Fenech.

Cremona testified that weeks after that meeting he informed Fenech by text message that Schembri wanted to speak to him, but Fenech allegedly replied: "Don't take any notice of him." Cremona said Schembri later stopped asking him about Fenech, leading him to assume the two men had resumed direct contact.

The witness also referred to conversations with Theuma about former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and Edgar Brincat, known as "Il-Ġojja". He said Theuma had claimed to receive information through Brincat, who in turn was in contact with Cutajar.

Prosecutors questioned Cremona about Theuma's presidential pardon. The witness testified that Theuma had told him Brincat spoke to then Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar before the pardon was granted. He also expressed doubts about the recordings secretly made by Theuma, saying he believed they were selectively retained while others were deleted.

An emotional Cremona told the court he was angry at being recorded, stating: "He ruined my life." He added that it was not Fenech who had asked him to keep Theuma calm, although he declined to identify who had made that request, saying only that he had been concerned about the business.

Cremona testified that the Degiorgio brothers had sought €400,000 from Theuma to fund their trial and had threatened to expose him if they were not paid. He said Theuma told him he intended to ask Fenech for the money. However, when prosecutors referred to an earlier statement suggesting Theuma also planned to seek money from Keith Schembri through Kenneth Camilleri, Cremona said he had no recollection of this.

The prosecution continued its examination of Cremona by playing a series of secret recordings made by Melvin Theuma, with much of the afternoon focused on Cremona's attempts to explain remarks he made during those conversations.

Cremona testified that Theuma had told him he had paid a €30,000 deposit to the Degiorgio brothers for Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.

He said Theuma had also told him that Yorgen Fenech had instructed him to put everything "on pause" after an election was called, but that Theuma went ahead and paid the deposit anyway. Cremona said he never asked why Theuma had ignored those instructions.

The prosecution also questioned Cremona about new claims he had made linking former minister Chris Cardona to the case. Cremona said that Fenech had once sent him a photograph of two men, telling him that one of them was the middleman between Cardona and the Degiorgio brothers. He recalled one of the men being known as "Toni l-Biglee".

Prosecutors challenged Cremona over inconsistencies in his account, pointing out that he had previously testified that the photograph showed only one man. They also questioned why he had never mentioned Cardona during earlier testimony. Cremona insisted he had never been asked about Cardona before and denied that anyone had prompted him to raise the issue.

"I'm not here to do anyone any favours," he told the court, adding that by speaking about the matter he was "putting (his) life in danger".

The court also heard details of Cremona's relationship with Fenech. While rejecting the suggestion that they were close friends, Cremona acknowledged that Fenech had helped him financially in the past, including persuading the Tumas Group to continue investing in his business when he was struggling financially in 2014. He also said Fenech had assisted with his father's chemotherapy treatment.

Asked whether that support had influenced his testimony, Cremona insisted it had not. He maintained that he was angry with Theuma because he had secretly recorded him without his consent.

The remainder of the sitting centred on recordings secretly made by Theuma during conversations with Cremona. Proceedings were briefly delayed while prosecutors located the correct audio file, while journalists in the public gallery struggled to make out much of what was being said.

Cremona remarked that he believed Theuma had hidden the recording device in his shoe because "you can hear footsteps".

In one recording, Cremona was heard telling Theuma that the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) was looking into him, before reassuring him that neither the police nor the bank had a file on him.

He also urged Theuma not to pay attention to what Fenech was saying, adding that if there was a disagreement "it will go to Raymond" - a reference to former police superintendent Ray Aquilina, who is currently facing bribery charges.

When another recording referred to someone deleting recordings, Cremona initially said he had been telling Theuma to delete recordings of himself before changing tack and said he had actually meant recordings Theuma had made of Fenech.

Another recording appeared to refer to an impending money laundering raid, with Theuma asking whether investigators would search at "Charmaine's", referring to his partner. Cremona was heard telling him to "remove everything from there", before assuring him that "with Raymond, you will not have any problems".

Questioned about references in the recording to "Arthur", Cremona said he believed this referred to lawyer Arthur Azzopardi. Asked who a "mastermind" mentioned in the recording was, Cremona replied: "I have no idea."

In another exchange, Cremona was heard telling Theuma that the FIAU's attention was focused on Fenech rather than on him. Prosecutors challenged him on the remark, but Cremona repeatedly insisted he had simply been trying to calm Theuma.

"I am going to keep repeating this in all the recordings you ask me about," he said, maintaining that he had fabricated stories to reassure him because Theuma had become "fixated" on Fenech and blamed him whenever something went wrong.

One recording captured Cremona telling Theuma: "If Yorgen falls, people will be stunned." He said he could not remember the context in which the remark had been made. References to Satabank and lawyer Arthur Azzopardi also featured, while Cremona said he did not know what was meant by a comment about seeking a presidential pardon before a magistrate.

Before another recording was played, Cremona complained that Theuma had "badgered" him constantly from morning until late at night.

"I knew that if I didn't keep him under control, he would expose everything," he told the court.

In the final recording played on Tuesday, Cremona confirmed that references to "KK" were references to Keith Schembri. He said mentions of "Raymond" were intended to reassure Theuma, insisting: "I would tell him what he needed to hear."

Judge Edwina Grima then adjourned proceedings until Wednesday morning.