‘Keith Schembri played me’ – Yorgen Fenech

Yorgen Fenech has told jurors that former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri “played” him in the days leading up to his arrest, as prosecutors confronted the businessman over hundreds of thousands of euros passed to murder middleman Melvin Theuma and confidential information leaked from the murder investigation.

Fenech, accused of complicity in the 2017 assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, continued testifying on Saturday before facing cross-examination by prosecutor Godwin Cini.

He maintained his categorical denial that he commissioned or financed the murder.

“I did not pay a dime for the murder,” Fenech told the court.

Fenech claimed he gave Theuma money to keep him “calm and under control”, portraying the pardoned middleman as increasingly demanding and threatening.

Under cross-examination, however, Fenech acknowledged passing substantial sums to Theuma after being told the money would go to the killers.

Fenech also made significant admissions about confidential information passed to Theuma.

He confirmed warning Theuma about a police raid targeting Caruana Galizia’s killers and telling him to inform the Degiorgio brothers that Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, was revealing information.

Asked whether he had done so to hinder the investigation, Fenech said: “It was a mistake. It wasn’t my intention.”

He also acknowledged sometimes asking Theuma to pass information to others, including the Maksar brothers, and admitted asking Theuma to delete recordings “for Keith”.

Earlier, Fenech returned to his relationship with Schembri, whom he placed at the centre of events surrounding the murder and its investigation.

Fenech claimed Schembri sent him two separate letters through doctor Adrian Vella while he was on police bail in November 2019.

He said the first was delivered to his home, while the second arrived on 24 November after Schembri allegedly told him he would send a “meatier version”.

Fenech said he did not like what he read and used a burner phone to contact Schembri.

According to Fenech, Schembri reassured him: “You have nothing to worry about. Trust me.”

“I realised what was happening, but I still had some hope. I didn’t think he’d do this to me. He played me,” Fenech told jurors.

Prosecutors also challenged Fenech over his access to senior public officials.

WhatsApp exchanges with then-Planning Authority CEO Johann Buttigieg showed Fenech seeking assistance over a planning application belonging to Theuma and discussing property opportunities involving Gozitan developer Joseph Portelli.

Other exchanges showed Buttigieg and Fenech discussing the prospect of going into business together, which Fenech dismissed in court as “business jargon”.

The defence objected to the prosecution’s questioning, arguing it was straying into allegations of unrelated offences.

Judge Edwina Grima ruled that prosecutors could question Fenech on matters raised during his direct testimony and test his credibility, but could not use the cross-examination to suggest he had committed unrelated crimes.

Fenech’s cross-examination continues.