Keith Schembri, former chief of staff to Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, denied on Wednesday leaking information about an investigation into the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters
The former chief of staff to Malta’s Prime Minister denied on Wednesday leaking information about an investigation into the killing of an anti-corruption reporter to the man accused of masterminding her murder.
The ex-aide, Keith Schembri, also denied writing a letter to the suspected mastermind, Yorgen Fenech, which instructed him what to tell police after Mr. Fenech’s arrest over Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death in a car bombing in October, 2017.
Mr. Fenech, a multimillionaire entrepreneur, was arrested last month as he tried to leave Malta on his yacht. He has been accused of complicity in the killing, which shone a spotlight on corruption in the European Union’s smallest country.
Mr. Fenech denies the charge. He has also implicated Mr. Schembri in the murder and asked for lead investigator Keith Arnaud to be taken off the case, saying Mr. Arnaud and Mr. Schembri are close.
Appearing as a witness at a court hearing into Mr. Fenech’s complaint against Mr. Arnaud, Mr. Schembri said he had attended briefings that the police and security service gave Prime Minister Joseph Muscat about the murder.
He said he and Mr. Fenech were friends, but denied leaking information about the briefings to the businessman and said he had not told him his phone calls were being monitored by the security service.
“We only discussed what was reported in the media,” Mr. Schembri, who denies Mr. Fenech’s accusations that he has links to corruption and the self-confessed middleman in the murder, told the judge.
He said he had spoken to Mr. Fenech by phone for 20 minutes shortly before the businessman tried to leave Malta, but denied he had tried to help him escape.
Mr. Schembri had been held under arrest by police for questioning, but was released late last month. He quit as Mr. Muscat’s chief of staff after Mr. Fenech’s accusations against him.
Mr. Schembri said he had twice met self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma in the government headquarters, but that the meetings were not related to the Caruana Galizia murder.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 14. Separately, three men are awaiting trial for setting off the bomb.
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