Jurors in the trial against businessman Yorgen Fenech on Tuesday were shown Signal messages in which former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta described the businessman as his "best friend," as the court also heard from the businessman's former yacht captain about the attempted voyage to Sicily, that ended with Fenech's arrest at sea.

The court heard a series of Signal conversations between Fenech and Valletta, who was leading the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation at the time, in which the pair discussed football trips, private jets, meetings and personal matters.

One exchange, dated 18 June 2019, began with Fenech writing: "Mate, because you're someone I can tell these things to... I came out looking like an idiot without saying a word. Where are you?"

Valletta replied that he is in Gozo. Fenech goes on to say that he had lost €16,000, adding that he realised something had happened and may have overreacted because of things he had witnessed in his work.

In another exchange, Valletta told Fenech: "You're my best friend," while in another he reassured him: "Let's take it step by step and we'll get there. You took the first step, we'll be right behind you."

The conversations were exhibited through the testimony of former Homicide Squad sergeant Brady Joe Zammit, who explained the forensic extraction and analysis of Fenech's mobile phone.

Zammit told jurors that a second extraction recovered Signal data that had not been obtained during the first and said the device contained the largest volume of data of all the devices examined, including documents, emails, browser history and any other information capable of being forensically extracted.

In another exchange on 12 May 2019, Valletta asked Fenech whether he knows anyone who rents private jets as his wife - then former minister Justyne Caruana - needed one.

The jet was for a flight to Corfu, but the exchanges show that the options that Fenech got ended up being too expensive.

The court also heard of a message from Marlene, an office secretary, informing Fenech that then-head of the police's anti-money laundering unit Raymond Aquilina was waiting downstairs. Fenech replied: "Bring him up next to you."

Jurors were also shown a video recovered from Fenech's phone showing Valletta sitting in a fancy white car inside a Portomaso garage as Fenech filmed him, while further chats showed the pair arranging meetings and discussing trips abroad.

Under cross-examination, however, the witness confirmed that none of the exchanges between Fenech and Valletta referred to the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation.

Jurors were then shown further messages recovered from Fenech's phone, including a WhatsApp exchange with Joseph ("Josie") Licari dated 28 October 2019.

In the conversation, Fenech wrote: "Now it's better... Daphne is involved. Look at this, killer as well." Licari replied: "I've read it and it really hurt me because I know what you're going through. I'm not trying to flatter you, but it's so sad."

Fenech responded: "I never had any affection for her because she was 'mara liba' (a bitch), but she hardly affected us at all."

Another WhatsApp conversation, dated 19 November 2019 - the eve of Fenech's arrest - showed him writing: "Need to go for some days... Nice or Paris. I'll find an aircraft... No way to make it discreet, right?"

Police Sergeant Josef Gerada then continued explaining data extracted from Melvin Theuma's devices, including Signal conversations between the self-confessed middleman and Fenech.

A Philips digital recorder contained 16 audio recordings, while a Samsung Galaxy A5 included SMS exchanges between Theuma and Fenech dating back to 2016, and a call-recording application which automatically recorded every incoming telephone call, regardless of who was calling.

He examined conversions that Theuma had with Johann Cremona, Engelbert Mamo, Mario Degiorgio, Mario Tonna, and Fenech.

In one exchange, after Theuma wrote: "Can I call you? I saw someone near the house and I didn't like it," Fenech replied: "Call me, of course. Put your mind at rest. I spoke to my friend this morning."

Other messages showed Fenech attempting to reassure Theuma as the investigation gathered pace.

"Stay calm. They arrived at the Tal-Maksar garage in Ħaż-Żebbuġ," one message read.

In another, Fenech told him: "You are like my brother. No one can touch me."

He added: "No one can joke with me. If you stay strong, they can kiss my balls."

Gerada also explained that the Signal conversations had been set to disappear automatically after five minutes, a setting that had been enabled by Fenech.

Earlier in the day, the defence unsuccessfully objected to testimony by police constable Sven Sammut regarding emails recovered from Fenech's laptop, arguing they related to separate criminal proceedings and events occurring after Caruana Galizia's murder.

Judge Edwina Grima dismissed the objection, ruling the material had long formed part of the acts of the case and that the defence could have challenged its admissibility much earlier.

Sammut subsequently exhibited emails recovered from the laptop seized from Fenech's yacht Gio, including correspondence appearing to concern the purchase of firearms and another relating to an apparent order for potassium/sodium cyanide powder.

The witness told the court he had flagged the emails during his forensic examination after identifying what appeared to be suspicious purchases.

Reading from the email exchange, the witness told the court the sender received a reply listing various firearms and prices, including a Glock pistol for €700 with 200 rounds of ammunition and a suppressor, a Scorpion automatic rifle, and a Browning firearm with 500 rounds of ammunition.

Police Sergeant Josef Gerada also continued explaining Signal and WhatsApp conversations extracted from Melvin Theuma's devices.

Among the exchanges shown to jurors, Fenech told Theuma: "If you're going to do it, think it through carefully," before adding in another message: "Let's put an end to those listening and let it stop there."

During cross-examination, the defence referred to conversations predating Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder, with Gerada confirming they contained no reference to the assassination.

Jurors were also shown messages between Theuma's partner, Charmaine, and her daughter Shianne, in which Charmaine said everything would be sorted because "a big man" had gone with Johann, adding that "of course" Yorgen knew, "even the big shots". Another exchange referred to Melvin Theuma visiting Castille.

Late afternoon, Fenech's former yacht captain Logan Wood took the witness stand and described the events leading up to Fenech's interception at sea on 20 November 2019 as he attempted to sail to Sicily aboard his yacht, the Gio.

Wood, who worked for the Fenech family for several years and captained both the Gio and Gio 2, explained that the yachts underwent routine annual servicing during the winter months at a shipyard in Pozzallo, Sicily.

He said that, a few days before 19 November 2019, Fenech asked whether the yacht's scheduled maintenance could be brought forward, prompting him to contact the shipyard to arrange an earlier booking.

Wood testified that only he and Fenech were due to travel on the yacht and that they intended to spend the night on board before departing for Sicily in the early hours of 20 November.

He recalled arriving at Portomaso Marina on 18 November to prepare the vessel before Fenech joined him late on the evening of 19 November.

Wood told jurors that members of the media and CID officers were present at the marina that evening.

He recognised Times of Malta photographer Matthew Mirabelli among those outside and said Mirabelli had asked him whether the yacht was leaving, after telling him they had received information that Fenech intended to escape.

Wood said there were already rumours linking Fenech to Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.

After being informed by marina security that CID officers were also in the area, Wood messaged Fenech, who replied: "We have nothing to hide."

Despite the media presence, the pair remained on board overnight before setting sail at around 5am.

Wood testified that approximately 20 minutes after leaving Portomaso Marina, when the yacht was around two nautical miles offshore, it was intercepted by two Armed Forces of Malta patrol boats.

He said around 12 soldiers boarded the vessel and searched it before both he and Fenech were handcuffed. Although they were initially instructed to return the yacht to Portomaso, they were later ordered to abandon it and board the patrol boats instead.

Wood said he had expected to return to Malta after leaving the yacht in Sicily, while he believed Fenech intended to meet someone there, although he did not know whether Fenech planned to return afterwards.

Jurors were also shown a series of WhatsApp exchanges between Wood and Fenech in the hours leading up to the attempted departure.

In one message, Wood wrote: "In reality, leaving in the morning will look less fishy."

Asked what he meant, Wood replied: "Because I knew what was going on."

Other messages showed Fenech instructing Wood to switch off the yacht's Automatic Identification System (AIS) and to "make sure the coast is 100% clear."

Wood also confirmed that Fenech instructed him to wait until he had been given the all-clear before his wife brought his luggage to the yacht.

Questioned by prosecutor Godwin Cini, Wood said he believed Fenech had been acting cautiously because he was travelling to Sicily.

The court also heard that Fenech had asked Wood how long it would take to travel by car from Sicily to La Spezia. Wood said he understood Fenech was interested in purchasing a boat located there.

Another message instructed Wood not to place a pouch in the engine room because "it looks bad, mate".

Wood told the court he believed the pouch contained Fenech's personal cash, although he did not know for certain.

Under cross-examination, the defence referred to WhatsApp messages in which Fenech said he was attending therapy because of the pressure generated by intense international media coverage and wrote that he trusted only two people in his life - Wood and Charlene, identified as Keith Schembri's secretary.

Wood also confirmed that the yacht's annual servicing had been arranged well in advance, that departing early in the morning had been his own decision because of favourable weather conditions and that he had informed Valletta Port Control before leaving Malta.

He said the yacht's AIS had initially been activated in accordance with standard procedure before being switched off at Fenech's request.

The day's first witness, Europol forensic expert Ioannis Chatzantoniou, testified that he had examined scanned documents to determine whether they had been falsified or whether they were scans of original documents.

He told jurors his examination produced a negative result, meaning he found no evidence indicating the documents had been falsified.