The secret recordings Melvin Theuma made as he became increasingly fearful of being left alone to face the consequences of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder once again took centre stage in court on Tuesday, with Theuma telling jurors that without the recordings he would have had no way of proving his version of events.
Theuma's testimony started on Friday, and continued on Saturday and Monday, with jurors hearing further secret recordings centred largely on the financial pressure he said he faced from the Degiorgio brothers after Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.
Theuma, the self-confessed middleman in the 2017 assassination, was granted a presidential pardon in exchange for information.
Fenech has pleaded not guilty to two principal charges: complicity in the wilful homicide of Daphne Caruana Galizia and 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 Caruana Galizia's assassination. Vince Muscat admitted his role in the murder in 2021 and was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment. Alfred and George Degiorgio each received 40-year prison sentences after pleading guilty in 2022, while Robert Agius and Jamie Vella were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2025 for supplying the bomb used in the attack.
The prosecution is being led by Attorney General lawyers Godwin Cini, Anthony Vella and Danika Vella, assisted by Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud and Inspector Kurt Zahra. Fenech is represented by lawyers Charles Mercieca, Giannella de Marco and Gianluca Caruana Curran, while lawyers Therese Comodini Cachia and Jason Azzopardi are appearing parte civile on behalf of the Caruana Galizia family.
Judge Edwina Grima is presiding.
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18:01 Thank you for following our life coverage. A roundup of today's proceedings will be uploaded on our website shortly.
18:00 Another conversation between Melvin Theuma and Yorgen Fenech is read out in court. This dates back to November 2019, before Fenech's arrest. Fenech questions why Theuma had doubted him and reassures him that they would sort everything out, telling him: "It will happen on Saturday."
Theuma asks whether something can be done to prevent "the women" from being arrested or dragged into the situation. This is referring to Theuma's partner and her children. Fenech reassures him that he is aware of the issue and is working on it.
Theuma then tells Fenech that he does not think he has the strength to cope with everything that was happening. Fenech reassures him that it will all pass and that afterwards they will be able to rest.
In court, Theuma explains that he understood Fenech's instruction to "clear up everything" as referring to getting rid of anything connected to his illegal lottery operation, as well as the recordings he had made about the murder.
Theuma tells him that he is taking large amounts of Ativan, an anti-anxiety medication, but is still unable to sleep. He says he is worried about his partner and her daughter.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini then brings his examination to a close.
"Do you wish to say anything else to the jurors?" Cini asks Theuma. "No," Theuma replies.
The prosecution's examination of Melvin Theuma ends here. His cross-examination by the defence is expected to begin tomorrow.
17:40 The chats also contain a reference to a MaltaToday article reporting that Labour was leading by 80,000 votes.
Theuma tells Fenech "Let's hope its true."
Theuma explains that this was in the context of Fenech repeatedly telling him that, for as long as Labour remained in government, no one would touch him.
17:38 Prosecutor Godwin Cini reads out a series of messages exchanged between Yorgen Fenech and Melvin Theuma.
In one of them, Fenech tells Theuma: "I'm on my way to the airport."
Theuma replies that he is "broken" and would rather meet him, adding: "I'm doing badly, mate. I'll speak to you when you arrive. I have too many worries," Theuma writes.
Cini asks Theuma what he was worried about at the time. "I had no other worries except Daphne Caruana Galizia," Theuma replies in court.
Fenech reassures him: "Don't worry. They won't do anything, believe me. Then come to the ranch whenever you want." Theuma also tells Fenech: "Today I lost €75,000."
The court also hears how Fenech had told Theuma that he was trying to get a mobile phone with a foreign SIM card to Alfred Degiorgio because "all of their phones were marked."
In another chat on a different day, Theuma asks Fenech: "What can I do to speak to Fredu?"
In court, Theuma explains that he wanted to make Alfred Degiorgio aware that all the money sent to him was being paid out by him.
Theuma says he was even prepared to hit someone with a glass so that he would be sent to prison and could speak to Alfred Degiorgio.
However, Fenech told him that someone would instead get a mobile phone "from our side", fitted with a foreign SIM card, and pass it to Degiorgio, who was in prison at the time.
"You're my rock, mate," Theuma replies. Theuma explains that he used to calm down when he met Fenech.
17:17 Phone calls recovered by police from Melvin Theuma's mobile phone are now being played in court. The call was between Theuma and Yorgen Fenech and date back to November 2017.
Asked about the recordings by the prosecution, Theuma explains that he had installed an application on his phone which automatically recorded calls. Theuma explains that he had installed the app so he could keep track of incoming bets made through the phone.
The phone call in question involves Theuma telling Fenech about a meeting he had with Keith Schembri's secretary, whom he says was also in a relationship with Yorgen Fenech at the time. According to Theuma, the call was made after this meeting at Castille.
In the recording, Theuma is heard telling Fenech: "I've just left there. She called Transport Malta and spoke to a woman called Karen, and told me that if they call me, I should let her know."
It is understood that the meeting involved a field belonging to Theuma.
Another phone call between Edgar Brincat, known as "il-Ġojja" and Melvin Theuma is now being played.
A child's voice can be heard in the background as Theuma tells il-Ġojja: "I'll go tomorrow."
17:09 In the messages displayed on the courtroom screens, Yorgen Fenech is seen telling Melvin Theuma to call Johann Cremona and say that there had been no betrayal because, in reality, "his uncle had agreed."
Theuma explains that this was part of a plan between him and Fenech to undermine evidence in the hands of the police concerning Theuma's earlier statement that Fenech had betrayed him.
According to Theuma, they had agreed to make it appear that the reference to "betrayal" was actually about a taxi-related issue.
In the chat, Fenech tells Theuma that, through this plan, they could "get them to stop listening", in an apparent reference to surveillance by the Malta Security Service.
17:06 The prosecution is asking about the word "cousins" in one of the chats.
Theuma says Yorgen Fenech referred to the police as "the cousins." The chats displayed on the courtroom screens show Fenech telling Theuma: "I think we've found a way for them to stop being mentioned, and it would be good if they closed the file."
Yorgen Fenech also tells Melvin Theuma that he needs to "make a move himself" but tells him to think it through and not rush into anything because he could get it wrong.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini asks Theuma what he understood from the message. Theuma replies that he understood Fenech to mean that he should deal with the police himself.
In other messages, Theuma tells Fenech: "You have to tell me what to do." Fenech warns him to be careful about what he says over the phone because investigators could be listening.
Theuma then says it would be better if they stopped listening and that this would be "a very good sign", while Fenech warns him not to say things like that.
16:54 Court is back in session
16:29 More chats continue to be displayed on the courtroom screens. In one message, Melvin Theuma tells Yorgen Fenech: "You make sure that if there is any evidence, you destroy it immediately."
Theuma confirms that when he used the plural "you", he was referring to Keith Schembri and Yorgen Fenech.
The defence immediately objects, arguing that the witness is expressing an opinion. The judge says that if the defence has an objection, it can raise the matter during cross-examination.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini remarks: "The truth hurts. Those messages are there and they're not going anywhere."
At this point, the judge calls a break and she warns prosecutor Godwin Cini over the remark.
"Be grateful that I have not found you in contempt of court, because you made that comment in the presence of the jurors," the judge tells him
16:22 In the chats being displayed on the courtroom screens, Yorgen Fenech tells Melvin Theuma: "You're having a breakdown. But we are such good people."
Theuma continues: "That hit us hard, my friend," to which Fenech replies: "We'll win."
In court, Theuma explains that by "that hit us hard," he was referring to the murder.
Asked about Fenech's response, "We'll win", Theuma says he understood it to mean that they would not get caught.
Theuma explains in court that, at this point, both he and Fenech were worried and that Fenech had begun warning him to be careful so that they would not get caught.
The chats also contain a reference to "the dwarf." According to Theuma, this nickname referred to "iċ-Ċiniż", George Degiorgio.
16:15 The prosecution continues displaying Signal chats between Yorgen Fenech and Melvin Theuma on the courtroom screens. Theuma had Yorgen Fenech saved in his phone as "Yurgin."
Theuma once again explains that he was sending Fenech certain details because "he was the person who commissioned the murder."
In one of the messages, Fenech tells Theuma: "No one can touch me."
Theuma tells the court that when Fenech said things like this to him, it made him feel reassured.
Fenech also wrote to theuma: "Today, you are my brother and your son is my son." Fenech had also told Theuma: "You're the only one I worry about."
Asked about this in court, Theuma says Fenech was worried that he might expose him.
Further messages are shown in which Fenech tells Theuma: "No one can fuck with me," and, "I will keep you by my side always, forever." Theuma replies: "I know."
Fenech then tells him: "If you and I remain strong, no one can touch us and they can kiss our balls."
Prosecutor Godwin Cini asks Theuma what he understood this to mean.
"So that I wouldn't expose him," Theuma replies, adding that Fenech felt he was "weak" and might crack under pressure, which might lead him to start talking.
16:05 Another chat is seen in which Yorgen Fenech asks Melvin Theuma to bring his son over so that he could play with Fenech's son while the two men spoke.
Theuma tells the court that he and Fenech had argued over the phone earlier that day. Theuma confirms that this was around the time Vince Muscat, known as "il-Koħħu," was speaking to the police. He recalls confronting Fenech, asking him: "What have you gotten me into?"
Prosecutor Godwin Cini also points out that Fenech had turned on the disappearing message setting.
During his testimony, Melvin Theuma says, "If Yorgen had respected me, I wouldn't be here before the judge."
This comes as Theuma spoke about a response to a message from Fenech in which he told Theuma: "I respected you; I spoke to you about my family."
16:00 Melvin Theuma is now questioned on a screenshot of a chat between himself and Yorgen Fenech.
In the chat, Theuma asks Fenech to call him after spotting a man near his home, noting that this had made him uneasy.
Testifying in court, Theuma explains that he suspected the man was an undercover officer and that this happened around Carnival time.
The following day, Theuma saw the man again in his street and followed him, eventually realising that the man lived close to him.
In the chat, Fenech tells Theuma not to worry because he had "spoken to his friend". Theuma confirms in court that the "friend" Fenech was referring to was Keith Schembri.
15:57 Before questioning him about the chat, the prosecution asks whether Theuma used to attend lunches and dinners hosted by Yorgen Fenech at his ranch.
Theuma says Keith Schembri was present on one occasion, while Fenech's doctor, Adrian Vella, would generally attend, along with Fenech's cousins.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini then asks Theuma whether he "had any motive to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia".
Theuma says he did not, explaining that he only came to know who Caruana Galizia was after he encountered her near Portomaso, when all of her tyres had been slashed. He says he gave her a lift and refused to accept any money from her.
"When I returned to the Hilton, they asked me, 'Do you know who you just gave a lift to?' I told them, 'the journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.'"
Theuma says that at the time, he did not even know who she was.
He adds that when Yorgen Fenech later instructed him to look for George "iċ-Ċiniż" to kill her, he searched her up online and found a photograph of her with her sister outside the Mosta police station.
15:47 There are no more recordings to be played for Theuma.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini says the prosecution would now like to show the witness a number of photographs and chats and question him about them.
A chat is displayed on the courtroom screens.
15:45 The prosecution asks about part of the recording in which Melvin Theuma is heard explaining to Johann Cremona that if they had found anything on him, he would have been sent to prison.
The recording also contains a reference to Yorgen Fenech "playing a game" with Silvio Valletta.
Asked what he meant by this phrase, Theuma explains that Fenech would invite then-Assistant Commissioner Valletta to his Żebbug ranch.
Theuma says Fenech would try to "find out what Valletta knew."
The prosecution is now playing a recording of a conversation between Melvin Theuma and Mario Degiorgio, recorded in Marsa outside the Degiorgio residence, although the audio quality means that not much can be understood.
15:28 "He should never have done this," Theuma is heard saying in the recording.
As he listens to the recordings, Melvin Theuma closes his eyes. The prosecution asks about references in the recordings to Keith Schembri being worried. Theuma confirms that Keith Schembri was worried when the Degiorgio brothers were about to be arrested.
"Keith is definitely his accomplice," Melvin Theuma is heard saying in the recordings.
Theuma continues to insist that it was a "mistake" for him to have mentioned Keith Schembri.
15:19 Melvin Theuma now speaks about his recorded conversations with Johann Cremona.
Theuma is heard saying: "I was a man of my word. I never mentioned them. I never mentioned Yorgen or Keith's names."
Theuma clarifies that he could never mention Keith Schembri "because only Yorgen had sent me... Keith never mentioned anything to me."
"I used to mention Keith because I knew he passed information to Yorgen," Theuma tells the court.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini refers Theuma to a phrase heard in one of the recordings: "Go find Alfred, Go find Alfred," referencing Alfred Degiorgio.
"That's what Yorgen used to tell me," Theuma explains.
15:10 The sitting has resumed
13:00 Defence lawyers ask how much longer the prosecution expects its questioning of Theuma to take.
The prosecution replies that it will certainly not be concluded by the end of today.
The judge suspends proceedings for a lunch break. The hearing will resume at 3pm.
12:58 In another recording, Cremona is heard telling Theuma: "It's not going to close in on any of you."
Theuma tells the court that Cremona was trying to reassure him, telling him that the Ta' Maksar brothers, Chris Cardona and lawyer Arthur Azzopardi would instead be the ones to go down.
12:42 In another recording, Cremona tells Theuma that Europol had Fenech's phone.
Testifying in court, Theuma says Cremona had also told him that Fenech obtained a new phone which could not be intercepted through Keith Schembri's secretary, Charlene Farrugia Bianco.
Prosecutor Godwin Cini asks Theuma who had given Farrugia Bianco the phone.
Theuma: Probably Keith Schembri.
12:40 Cremona is also heard advising Theuma to get rid of his phone once the situation was over.
"Ditch your phone as soon as you get this over with," he tells him.
Cremona also urges Theuma to keep his distance from Fenech.
"Yorgen is under the spotlight," he says. "Avoid him. Let a year pass before you're seen together."
12:29 In another part of the recording, Cremona reassures Theuma that the recordings he had made gave him leverage.
"The power is in your hands," he tells him.
Later, Cremona appears to suggest that police had become suspicious of Theuma after learning that he had mentioned Fenech by name.
Cremona: "'I'm going to the Commissioner, Yorgen Fenech'. That's what you said, you used his name. That's where the problem comes from. If you hadn't said that word, there wouldn't be a problem today. But now it's there and that's why they want to do the raid. Because they're under pressure from abroad."
Testifying in court, Theuma explains that Cremona was repeating what Theuma himself had told his partner's daughter when he decided he would go to the police and expose Fenech.
12:25 In another section of the recording, Cremona reassures Theuma that "they have nothing on you", but tells him that it would ultimately be up to Theuma to explain to police that "that recording with Yorgen Fenech is about her."
The conversation then turns to investigator Keith Arnaud.
Cremona: Arnaud said, "I can't bring someone in without evidence in my hands." That's how he's held the media off. Because otherwise they'd have published your name nine months ago.
Theuma: Right.
Cremona: Because as far as Yorgen is concerned, they know it all.
Theuma: Yes, they know it all.
Cremona: They know that Yorgen engaged you. Completely. There's no hiding it.
Theuma: Right.
Cremona: That's why he's dragging things out and doing what he's doing, that guy's going to end up hanging himself soon.
12:21 In the recording, Johann Cremona refers to a "client" who had rejected a 12-year prison sentence.
Testifying in court, Theuma explains that the conversation concerned Vincent 'Il-Koħħu' Muscat and his then-lawyer Arthur Azzopardi. According to Theuma, Muscat was not prepared to accept a 12-year sentence.
Theuma also recalls Cremona referring to investigator Keith Arnaud, saying words to the effect of: "I cannot arrest a person without having evidence in hand."
The questioning then turns to reports published by Times of Malta referring to a businessman and a person involved in the gaming sector allegedly being connected to Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder. Theuma is heard saying that Fenech's identity as the alleged murder mastermind could've been revealed if the report had named him.
Theuma reiterates that he felt he had a degree of power because he possessed the secret recordings.
In another part of the recording heard in court, Theuma is heard calling someone and telling them to prepare the recordings so he can go to the police.
12:02 Court is back in session.
11:30 More excerpts from the recordings between Johann Cremona and Melvin Theuma are examined.
"The medicine is money," Cremona is heard telling Theuma.
Cremona also mentions a man named Ramon in the recording.
Theuma says he never discussed the murder directly with Ramon. He explains that Mario Degiorgio had told him Ramon had spoken to lawyer Arthur Azzopardi about filing some form of court application or proceedings, but says he had no further information about the matter.
The sitting is suspended for 15 minutes.
11:16 More recordings between Melvin Theuma and Johann Cremona are played in court. The same recordings had previously been heard by jurors when Cremona took the witness stand.
In one recording, Cremona tells Theuma: "If they mention you, mention him."
"Who would you mention?" prosecutor Godwin Cini asks. "Yorgen, of course," Theuma replies.
Theuma is then questioned about references he had made to the police commissioner.
"Why did you use to mention him?" Cini asks.
Theuma says he had only ever spoken to the commissioner once, in connection with his request for a presidential pardon. He says the commissioner had wanted information about him through Edgar Brincat, rather than to leak information to him.
Theuma admits that he frequently mentioned the commissioner when speaking to Cremona, but says much of it was a bluff.
"I used to pretend that I was getting information from the commissioner," he explains.
Theuma is asked about another remark made by Johann Cremona in the recordings: "The commissioner wants a lot of money, Melv."
Theuma insists the police commissioner had never asked for any money in order for Theuma to secure his presidential pardon.
10:59 The power station and 17 Black are mentioned as the recording continues to be examined in court.
Melvin Theuma recalls something reported in the news at the time about the power station and claims concerning €5,000-a-day payments involving Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.
The story in question involved the secret Panama companies set up by Schembri and Mizzi and the revelation that Yorgen Fenech's company, 17 Black, was meant to send the daily sums of money to their companies.
He explains that, in his mind, this was an indication that Fenech had the financial means to continue paying the Degiorgio brothers. "Our power is money," Theuma recalls Fenech repeatedly telling him.
Keith Schembri is again mentioned in the recording.Theuma tells the court that, at the time, he used to place Schembri "in the same boat as Yorgen because of his messed up mind ", but stresses that Schembri never commissioned him to do anything and never gave him any money.
"There was only one mastermind: Yorgen Fenech of the Tumas Group," Theuma says.
Theuma also recalls a part of the recording in which he spoke about Fenech allegedly pressuring him to tell the Degiorgio brothers to proceed with the murder. According to Theuma, Fenech feared that otherwise Daphne Caruana Galizia would publish what she knew and they would then have killed her "for nothing".
10:53 Another recording is played in court, with references to Mario Degiorgio.
Theuma says that, in the recording, Johann Cremona had told him to record Mario.
"I don't remember recording Mario Degiorgio," Theuma tells the court. Theuma is then asked about another remark attributed to Cremona: "Why didn't he get people from abroad to kill her?"
"Who was he referring to?" Theuma is asked.
"Yorgen Fenech," he replies.
Part of the recording is then heard in court. In the exchange, one person questions whether the consequences of what had happened had been understood, while the other replies that, had he foreseen them, he would not have gone through with it.
The conversation then turns to what another person allegedly knew:
"He knew everything," one voice says, a statement which is repeated several times. The recording also contains a reference to having recorded conversations involving Keith Schembri.
Theuma explains that he recorded Schembri for a different reason than the others. "I recorded Keith because Yorgen Fenech mentions him in the recordings," he says. "I didn't record Keith like I recorded the others."
Theuma insists he had only met Schembri twice: once at Yorgen Fenech's ranch and once at Castille in connection with the government job he had been given.
Part of the recording, Theuma is heard saying: "they drive you mad"
Prosecutor Godwin Cini asks why Theuma had told Johann Cremona that they would drive him mad.
Theuma replies that without the recordings, he would have had no way of proving his account. "If I didn't have recordings, I could say the parish priest commissioned me. Who would believe me?" he says. He adds that investigators believed Vince Muscat without evidence.
10:40 Theuma is asked about references in the recordings to Italian experts being brought in to assist the Degiorgio brothers with their case. He recalls references to "Italians" who would "help them" and to a "figure" or sum of money.
"Did they tell you how they were going to help the Degiorgios?" prosecutor Godwin Cini asks. "No, they didn't tell me," Theuma replies.
Another recording is played, this time involving Johann Cremona.
Theuma explains that he had told Cremona he was considering going to the police and revealing what he knew. In the recording, Cremona is heard saying words to the effect of: "He can't stop the story now. I don't know why he did it. I don't know whether he can continue giving them all this money."
Cini asks Theuma who Cremona was referring to when he said, "I don't know why he did it."
"Yorgen Fenech," Theuma replies.
10:32 Another recording is played.
Theuma is asked what Fenech had wanted to file libel proceedings over and how many times he had considered doing so.
Theuma recalls one occasion when Fenech had the intention of taking legal action against Times of Malta over articles being published about him.
10:16 Judge Edwina Grima says the purpose of the compilation of evidence was to ensure that all evidence is presented and placed in the acts of the case so that, once the trial begins, it can be produced before jurors without unnecessary obstacles or delays.
She says the prosecution had a duty, before the start of the trial, to ensure that all the evidence it intended to present was properly preserved in the acts and could be produced before the jury without difficulty, the judge says.
She notes that the recordings have been in the hands of the parties since the beginning of proceedings. If any transcripts were missing and were important to the prosecution's case - particularly where parts of the recordings are difficult to understand - the prosecution should have asked the court to appoint official transcribers to ensure that the necessary transcripts were prepared.
The prosecution failed to do so despite having ample time, the judge says, adding that the court had also held several preparatory sittings precisely to address such matters.
She says the prosecution's request at this stage concerns work that should have been carried out at the very beginning of the case. She therefore rejects the prosecution's request for jurors to be provided with headphones.
The judge rules that when a recording is played to a witness in court, it must be played in a way that allows the parties and the jury to follow what is being heard.
The recordings will now be played in open court, for everyone to hear.
10:05 Defence lawyer Charles Mercieca dictates an objection to the procedure being used to play the recordings to the witness. The defence objects to Theuma being allowed to listen to the recordings through headphones when nobody else in the courtroom can hear what is being played.
Mercieca argues that the witness is effectively being asked to explain material that neither the court nor the defence can hear at the same time. In the defence's view, evidence must be given viva voce and in open court.
He argues that the situation is a consequence of the prosecution's failure to request transcripts of the recordings when it had the opportunity to do so. Playing recordings without transcripts, and in a manner where only the witness can hear them, is not conducive to a fair hearing, Mercieca submits, describing the procedure as an unjust move by the prosecution.
The prosecution responds that the recordings constitute a very important part of its evidence and that it has a duty to ensure jurors are able to hear them.
It argues that shortcomings in the courtroom's sound system should not prevent the evidence from being properly heard and understood, or result in the accused not being held accountable for what was allegedly said in the recordings.
The prosecution argues that, in cases involving a large number of recordings, each lawyer, juror and the judge should be provided with individual headphones so that the audio can be heard as clearly as possible.
It submits that the court should ensure jurors have all the necessary equipment and, if required, appoint experts to reduce or remove background noise from the recordings.
"You are always criticising the court," the judge says sharply, raising her voice.
The prosecution stresses that the recordings are admissible evidence and can therefore be referred to during the proceedings. It says the purpose of these measures would simply be to allow the recordings to be heard in the clearest possible way.
The prosecution points out that the defence itself never requested transcripts of the recordings, despite having made numerous other requests throughout the proceedings.
9:52 Theuma notes that Fenech told him, "If you and I remain solid, nothing will happen," suggested that "even the police will relax if the Degiorgios escape," and remarked that "Arnaud's got guts to keep working, he only makes 1,700 euros a month."
9:48 A recording of a conversation between Theuma and Yorgen Fenech is played in court. Just like yesterday's recordings, the audio is garbled and much of what is being said is difficult to make out, but some swearing can be heard.
Theuma appears to be listening intently as the recording continues to play.
"What did you understand from this?" the judge and prosecutor Godwin Cini ask Theuma.
Theuma says that because Keith Arnaud was investigating the Degiorgio brothers, they "used to see him as the devil".
Before the recording is replayed, the prosecution asks for Theuma to be allowed to wear headphones so that he can hear the audio more clearly. Prosecutor Godwin Cini also asks for the recording to be paused at certain points so that the witness can explain specific parts of the conversation.
The defence objects, pointing out that if Theuma listens through headphones, no one else in the courtroom will be able to hear what he is hearing.
The judge ultimately allows Theuma to listen to the recording through headphones. The courtroom cannot hear the audio while it is being played to him.
After listening, Theuma explains parts of the conversation. He says he was afraid that the Degiorgio brothers would turn against him.
9:41 The first recording of the day has not been transcribed - meaning jurors may have a tough time understanding what is being said.
Court expert Martin Bajada is seated next to the witness to do his best to make the audio as clear as possible.
9:35 Jurors take their seat. So does witness Melvin Theuma. The day's court session can begin.
9:30 Judge Edwina Grima enters the courtroom. The judge appears visibly unimpressed with the prosecution over the late submission of documents and requests for photocopies. She makes it clear that she will not arrange photocopies for jurors at the last minute, either on the morning of a sitting or the evening before. She says the jurors will instead have to follow the documents from their tablets. The judge says that both she and court expert Martin Bajada are struggling to keep up with the material being presented. She tells prosecutors that it is no longer permissible for them to submit new evidence at the last minute.