Key facts
- Yorgen Fenech, on trial for the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, claims he was framed by police.
- Fenech alleges Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to the prime minister, masterminded the killing.
- The defense lawyer argued that Caruana Galizia was killed due to her reporting on Schembri, not Fenech.
- Fenech admitted to giving money to Melvin Theuma, claiming it was to control him during the police investigation.
- The defense lawyer questioned the credibility of Melvin Theuma, the prosecution's key witness.
Yorgen Fenech, the businessman on trial for the 2017 murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has claimed in court that he was framed by police and that Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, was the true mastermind.
Fenech's defense lawyer, Charles Mercieca, told the court that investigators failed to pursue evidence incriminating Schembri and that Schembri had a motive to kill Caruana Galizia, citing a file of her articles about him. Mercieca argued that Caruana Galizia was killed "because of what she wrote (about Schembri)," not about Fenech.
Schembri has denied any role in the murder and was never considered a suspect by the police. He stepped down from his government role in November 2019, and Muscat resigned as prime minister the following January amid allegations he had protected individuals linked to the killing.
Mercieca also questioned the credibility of Melvin Theuma, the self-confessed middleman who turned state's evidence after being granted a pardon. Theuma implicated Fenech, stating Fenech wanted Caruana Galizia killed because he feared damaging stories about him. Fenech admitted handing over cash to Theuma, but claimed it was to keep him under control during the police investigation, not to pay hitmen.