A furious confrontation erupted between convicted hitman George Degiorgio and self-confessed murder middleman Melvin Theuma during Yorgen Fenech's trial by jury on Thursday, with Degiorgio branding Theuma "the biggest liar" before security officers intervened as the pair stood up, shouted at each other and appeared close to physically confronting one another.

The dramatic exchange came after Degiorgio was brought into court for a direct confrontation with Theuma over conflicting testimony about who was allegedly behind the request to murder Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Degiorgio insisted that Theuma had implicated Keith Schembri from the outset, while Theuma vehemently denied ever mentioning either Schembri or Fenech to the Degiorgio brothers.

The afternoon sitting initially saw defence lawyer Giannella de Marco continue challenging Theuma over his presidential pardon, his relationship with Edgar Brincat, known as il-Ġojja, and claims involving former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar.

Jurors were shown a WhatsApp exchange between Brincat and Cutajar in which the former commissioner asked Brincat to visit his home. The defence also highlighted messages in which Theuma's stepdaughter said Brincat was "guiding you well".

Theuma said Brincat had guided him on what to say in his recordings and to "mention names", but denied knowing about a meeting between Brincat and the commissioner.

Another exchange, sent two days after Brincat had gone to see Cutajar, showed Theuma telling his partner that "everything went very well there. Where Edwin went".

Theuma said he could no longer remember what he had meant, but claimed Brincat had guided him to name people and had obtained information from the commissioner which was then passed on to him.

When de Marco accused him of pinning everything on Fenech, Theuma replied: "Well, he's the mastermind."

The defence then suggested that Theuma had struck a deal in exchange for his presidential pardon, something he strongly denied.

"You're wrong. I received a pardon thanks to the ability of Arnaud and Zahra, because the report they made reached the Attorney General," Theuma said.

A recording between Theuma and Johann Cremona was also played in which Cremona appeared to suggest that the police commissioner had listened to Theuma's recordings. Theuma insisted this was untrue, saying he had merely told Fenech that the commissioner knew about them.

Questioning later moved to other criminal cases, with Theuma saying Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, had wanted to disclose information about seven murders, but not the HSBC case "because there are big fish involved".

Theuma also made a reference to former prime minister Joseph Muscat while explaining another recording.

"Yorgen Fenech told me Keith Schembri had started crying and Joseph Muscat was furious (indannat u maħruq) because they're going to catch them before they kill her," he said.

The defence also questioned Theuma about an October 2018 conversation concerning the possible purchase of a pistol. Theuma admitted he had intended to buy one, with messages showing a price of €1,600, but insisted the purchase never went ahead.

The proceedings then took a different turn when the defence requested direct confrontations between Theuma and witnesses whose accounts conflicted with his.

Kenneth Camilleri was brought into court first, with the two immediately contradicting each other over Camilleri's visit to Theuma in Żurrieq.

Theuma maintained that Camilleri had asked him what problem he had with Fenech. Camilleri denied this, saying Theuma had instead mentioned the Degiorgios' bail and that he had moved away to call Keith Schembri.

Theuma also repeated his claim that Camilleri subsequently went to Johann Cremona's office, pulled out a piece of paper and told him that he had a problem, alleging Theuma was the mastermind behind Caruana Galizia's murder. Theuma said he replied that Fenech was the mastermind.

Camilleri denied this account, saying he went to the office, argued with them and left after realising what they were trying to involve him in.

The pair also contradicted each other over an alleged planned meeting at Ramla taż-Żejtun. Theuma said Cremona wanted him to meet Camilleri there at night but that he refused because he feared Camilleri would kill him. Camilleri said he knew nothing about such a meeting.

That confrontation ended before convicted hitman George Degiorgio was brought into court, where tensions rose almost immediately.

Degiorgio claimed that when Theuma approached the brothers about the murder, he had identified Keith Schembri as the person behind the request.

According to Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio had asked Theuma who sent him, with Theuma replying: "Keith, obviously."

Degiorgio further claimed that they subsequently went to Chris Cardona's office to confirm who had sent Theuma and that Cardona also identified Schembri.

Theuma turned towards Degiorgio and strongly rejected his account.

"You, of all people, are not going to make me look like a liar," Theuma said.

"There's no bigger liar than you. You're here with a pardon," Degiorgio replied. "Grant me a pardon and I'll say what I want to say. They never gave us a pardon because we were going to reveal everything. Including all politicians."

Theuma insisted that he had never told the Degiorgios that either Schembri or Fenech was behind the murder and said he had only spoken to George once.

He recalled Degiorgio telling him: "So many tough guys died, she'll die too."

Degiorgio disputed this, claiming he had instead told Theuma to inform Schembri that he would know once the murder was completed.

"I never mentioned neither Keith Schembri nor Yorgen Fenech," Theuma insisted.

The confrontation then exploded, with both men turning towards one another and shouting at the top of their voices.

"You can say whatever you want because you have the pardon," Degiorgio shouted.

"Everyone can say what they want with a pardon. You've got no balls! There's nobody here who lies as much as you do. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Theuma stood up and appeared to move towards Degiorgio, prompting security officers to intervene as the pair appeared close to physically confronting one another.

Judge Edwina Grima repeatedly called for order, but the accusations continued.

Degiorgio maintained that Theuma had named only Schembri, taunting him: "Be careful they don't take away your pardon."

The argument then shifted to financial support provided to the Degiorgios after their arrest.

Degiorgio acknowledged that Theuma had sent them money and food in prison, including rabbits, but insisted this had been done voluntarily.

Theuma became extremely emotional and fiercely disputed that claim.

"You didn't pay for anything! We paid for everything for you! Even for your children and your partner!"

"We never asked you for money. You're such a bluff. At least tell the truth - they gave you the pardon," Degiorgio replied.

"You're a clown!" Theuma shouted back.

Degiorgio later told him: "You've got no balls. They didn't give us a pardon because we were going to mention everything. We never asked him for money or anything. He always gave it to us of his own accord."

The judge then stopped Theuma from responding to a question posed by Degiorgio on how Theuma was going to receive €100,000 from the HSBC heist, and brought the confrontation to an end.

As Degiorgio left the courtroom, he could be heard saying: "They only hear what they want to hear in here."

Much of Thursday morning's cross-examination focused on inconsistencies in Theuma's accounts, his secret recordings, his dealings with people around him and his efforts to obtain a presidential pardon.

Theuma insisted that he had never threatened Fenech for money. He said that when Fenech provided the money for the murder, he had not asked for anything for himself but had sought only the €150,000 demanded by Alfred Degiorgio.

The defence challenged this version, suggesting that Theuma had subsequently used recordings and other material against Fenech.

Theuma said Fenech had been stunned and close to tears when he was shown portions of the secret recordings. He added that he had told Fenech that he could pass the material to Schembri if he wished.

The defence also questioned Theuma about a letter in which he had implicated both Fenech and Schembri. Theuma explained that he had handed Fenech recordings, a photograph of himself with Schembri and his government employment contract after Kenneth Camilleri had visited him.

Theuma said this led him to assume that Schembri had sent Camilleri and that Fenech and Schembri were working together. He nevertheless told the court that they were not.

De Marco repeatedly suggested that Theuma had been attempting to blackmail Fenech. Theuma rejected the accusation and insisted that there was only one truth.

Earlier, he had confirmed that he continued speaking to Fenech until shortly before his arrest, saying that his principal fear had been being caught rather than Fenech himself.

The defence also returned to claims involving Schembri. Theuma said he had feared Schembri because he believed he would do anything for Fenech, but insisted that Schembri had never given him money or ordered the murder.

He also said Fenech had reimbursed him €20,000 shortly before his arrest, money which Theuma had previously paid out of his own pocket.

The question of Theuma's presidential pardon became another major point of attack.

An audio recording was played in which Johann Cremona warned Theuma to make sure that Brincat did not speak to the police commissioner. Theuma was heard saying that he had told Brincat that Kenneth Camilleri had called him and that "they accepted".

De Marco suggested that this referred to an agreement whereby Theuma would receive a presidential pardon in exchange for blaming Fenech for the murder.

Theuma rejected this, saying he had obtained his pardon legitimately. He also said that previous claims he had made about Schembri had been the product of psychological distress and imagination.

Another recording featured Theuma discussing money and an apparent payment involving the police commissioner. Theuma insisted that the commissioner had never taken money and said references to money in the recording amounted to a "bluff".

De Marco challenged his credibility, pointing out that he had admitted to bluffing and to falsely implicating people while under psychological distress.

Theuma responded that he was now telling the truth and that he openly admitted where he had lied and where he was telling the truth.

The defence also questioned the €150,000 payment for the murder. Theuma maintained that he had given the hitmen €30,000 upfront and the remaining €120,000 after the murder. He said he had also paid an additional €5,000 himself for binoculars.

Theuma explained that he had initially approached the Degiorgio brothers himself, but that the situation escalated as they continued demanding money. He said he subsequently obtained money from Fenech by telling him that the hitmen required funds for lawyers, vehicle insurance and other expenses.

Asked why there was no recording of him explicitly asking Fenech for money, Theuma said Fenech had repeatedly assured him that he would never be left struggling, while he himself had felt uncomfortable directly pressing Fenech for cash.

The cross-examination then turned to a photograph of Theuma with former chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Messages between Theuma's partner and her daughter were shown to jurors. The exchange concerned efforts to find a photograph which Theuma apparently wanted urgently. One message said he needed it because someone wanted to take it somewhere "to scare them".

Theuma denied that his intention had been to frighten anyone. He said he believed Schembri had promised bail to the Degiorgio brothers and therefore placed him on the same level as those involved in the affair.

Theuma's urgency in recovering the photograph was also highlighted. In another exchange, he asked his stepdaughter to recover recordings, photographs and messages from a laptop and mobile phone, saying he would be ready to pay €10,000 for them.

When de Marco asked why he wanted the material and where he intended to take it, Theuma repeatedly answered that he could not remember.

The exchanges and recordings formed part of a broader effort by the defence to portray Theuma as a witness whose recollections and statements had shifted over time.

Theuma, however, continued to insist that his central account remained unchanged: Fenech was the person who engaged him to arrange the killing and supplied the €150,000 needed for the murder.

Theuma's cross-examination remains unfinished and will continue in another sitting.