Daphne’s killers began plotting car bomb hit ‘on the day’ Labour won 2017 elections

Vince Muscat, currently serving a 15-year sentence for his involvement in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, confirmed that he had already begun discussing the car bomb hit with one of the other executors “on the day” that the Labour Party won the 2017 general elections.

Muscat was testifying in court during the murder trial in which Yorgen Fenech stands accused of voluntary homicide and criminal association in Daphne’s murder. Muscat was testifying under examination from state prosecutor Godwin Cini and was asked to explain his involvement in the murder.

Broadly speaking, Muscat described two plots that he was aware of – an abandoned 2015 plot which he claimed was initially put forward by disgraced former economy minister Chris Cardona, and the 2017 car bomb plot which Muscat, together with brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, implemented on 16 October of that same year, which killed the journalist.

As previously noted by Assistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud, who was the first key witness to testify during this trial, Muscat told the court that the 2017 plot was temporarily called off during the snap general elections held that year.

“How much time passed between the general elections and Melvin Theuma’s final go-ahead?” Cini asked the witness, referring to the middleman who has admitted to serving as an intermediary between the accused, Fenech, and the executors.

“I don’t remember exactly, but it wasn’t a very long time. Alfred and I had already begun discussing it on the day of the elections’ result…maybe one or two weeks after that. We got the go-ahead straight away,” Muscat said.

Muscat first walked jurors through the alleged 2015 plot. He said George Degiorgio approached him at the Marsa potato shed and told him he had a “job” to discuss involving Muscat, Degiorgio and Jamie Vella, who was later identified as one of the suppliers who provided the bomb used in the 2017 plot.

Muscat said he later drove George Degiorgio to Portomaso because Degiorgio said he needed to meet Cardona. Muscat said he was not present at the meeting.

The following day, he said, Degiorgio told him: “Cardona wants us to get rid of Daphne Caruana Galizia.”

According to Muscat, the proposed 2015 hit was to cost €150,000, with a €50,000 deposit needed before they started. He said David Gatt, a lawyer and close associate of Cardona, was mentioned as the person who would provide an answer about the deposit.

Muscat said he did not speak directly to Gatt about the murder, but heard George Degiorgio speaking to him. He also said Gatt had wanted a cut of the payment.

The deposit never arrived, Muscat told the court, and the plot fizzled out after about a month or two. “It was all empty talk,” he said.

He said the men had identified where Caruana Galizia lived and conducted preliminary observations in Bidnija, but no action was taken. The original plan, according to Muscat, had involved an armed ambush.

Muscat then turned to the 2017 plot. He said Alfred Degiorgio, who had just been released from prison, told him around a month before the general elections that Melvin Theuma had approached him about a “big job”.

Muscat said he had known Theuma for years through the latter’s involvement in black market lotto, horse betting, and his work as a taxi driver. He said Theuma had been looking for Alfred Degiorgio through Darren Debono, known as it-Topo.

Muscat and Alfred Degiorgio went looking for Theuma on the same day, but initially failed to find him. Later, Muscat said, the same Degiorgio told him he had met Theuma at Busy Bee in Msida.

According to Muscat, Degiorgio told him that Theuma wanted Caruana Galizia killed. The executors then agreed between themselves to ask for €150,000, with €30,000 upfront. Muscat said they asked for the deposit first to avoid what had happened in 2015, when they had started observing the victim but were never paid the deposit they had requested.

The court heard Muscat say how the executors and Theuma bought four cheap Nokia phones to be used only among those involved in the execution.

After a later meeting at Busy Bee, Muscat said Degiorgio returned with the deposit. Muscat said he saw the brother, George Degiorgio, with a cigarette box containing €30,000 in cash, which was split equally between Muscat and the Degiorgio brothers.

Theuma had also given them an extra €1,000 “to buy ourselves a drink,” Muscat said.

At some point before the elections, Muscat said, Theuma told Alfred Degiorgio to temporarily stop planning until after the vote. By then, Muscat said, the deposit had already been paid, and the men were already spending full days watching Caruana Galizia’s home in Bidnija.

After Labour won the elections, Muscat said Alfred Degiorgio told him they had received the go-ahead.

Muscat said he and Alfred spent long hours near Caruana Galizia’s home, watching her movements, her husband’s routine, her cleaner’s weekly visits, and the gardener coming and going from the property.

“You can say that we had watched her every step,” Muscat told the jury.

He also recalled once seeing Caruana Galizia in Naxxar, sitting alone with a laptop in a place where, according to Muscat, Theuma had told them she could be found.

The testimony was interrupted when the prosecution asked the court to allow Muscat to be referred to his previous testimony during the compilation of evidence, arguing that this was needed to control the chronology of events and refresh the witness’s memory.

The defence objected, arguing that Muscat was the prosecution’s own witness and should testify from memory and to the best of his ability.

While prosecutors continued arguing case law with the defence – with both parties quoting conflicting extracts of jurisprudence handed down by the same court – Madam Justice Edwina Grima walked out of Hall 22 to consider her verdict on the matter.

The trial continues in the afternoon.