‘Keith and Yorgen are one and the same’ – Melvin Theuma
• Valletta leaked information to Fenech – middleman • Former Deputy Police Chief denies allegation
The middleman in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia yesterday said that he was told by alleged mastermind Yorgen Fenech that former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta was leaking information from the investigation.
The compilation of evidence against Fenech continued yesterday, with the court listening to recordings that Melvin Theuma had made of his conversations with Fenech.
Valletta made headlines recently when it was revealed that he had a close friendship with Fenech. The revelation led to the resignation of his wife, Justyne Caruana, from the post of Minister for Gozo.
In the recordings, Fenech was also heard telling Theuma that former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri “went cold” when he learnt of the murder. Fenech had also claimed that Schembri told him that, “you (Fenech) should have come to me before you did what you did, but now I will help you,” Theuma said.
It was also suggested that Keith Schembri was speaking to the judge assigned to preside over a bail hearing for the three murder suspects.
When the sitting started yesterday, Inspector Keith Arnaud said the court would listen to a recording, after which Theuma would be questioned.
Although the audio was not clear, some names could be made out, including “Il-Fulu” (which is Alfred Degiorgio’s nickname) and Kenneth (former OPM employee Kenneth Camilleri).
“I’ll take him to Mellieħa, to Keith,” Theuma is heard saying in the clip. In a previous testimony, Theuma said that he told Kenneth Camilleri that he will take Mario Degiorgio – the brother of accused George and Alfred Degiorgio – to Keith Schembri’s house in Mellieħa.
Asked to elaborate on the clip, Theuma said: “I had been at home one night and Yorgen called me and said he needed to speak to me. Fenech told me: ‘We have a problem because Vince Muscat is exposing you...’ I said what has he got to say about me, I always spoke to Alfred Degiorgio [when dealing about the murder]. That is what made me feel I was being betrayed.”
Theuma said that when Kenneth Camilleri came to speak to him about the €1 million and bail for the three men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia, he understood that Keith Schembri was involved.
Pressed further, Theuma said it was Keith Schembri who had told Fenech that Vince Muscat was talking to the police.
Theuma pointed out that Fenech once mentioned a person nicknamed ‘Tal-Maksar’ as the bombmaker. “I don’t even know who Tal-Maksar is. I didn’t even take the comment into any consideration,” he said.
He added that he knew Kenneth Camilleri worked with Joseph Muscat, and hence assumed that he had been sent to him by Keith Schembri.
The next day, Camilleri visited Theuma again and brought a note with three phone numbers on it. Camilleri asked if Theuma recognised any of the numbers - Theuma replied that he did, stating that one of them was his own old phone number.
“Then you’ve got problems”, Camilleri told him, before adding that the phone numbers belonged to the masterminds behind the assassination.
Theuma retorted by saying that Yorgen Fenech was the mastermind, as he had given him €150,000 to take to Alfred Degiorgio.
The next evening, Theuma was unexpectedly confronted by Johann Cremona and told that Camilleri wanted to see him in Żejtun. Theuma said that he did not go to see Camilleri. “I was afraid they would do something to me”, he told the court.
At one point in the recording, Theuma is asked whether everything it settled for the 22nd (December, 2017). He explained that this meant that if the suspects applied for bail on that day, they would get it.
“Keith and Yorgen are one and the same,” Theuma added, before noting that he knew they would betray him because he was the “loose end”.
“It was better if I was dead than alive,” he continued.
Theuma said Yorgen Fenech had told him in the recording that he spoke to Keith Schembri every day.
He spoke of his fear of someone from the Degiorgio or Muscat families being sent to eliminate him, since they did not know that Fenech was the person who ordered the murder.
He said that he had never spoken to them about who the mastermind was and who had told him about the bail request and the date.
When asked by lawyer Jason Azzopardi if he knew where Fenech was getting the information from, Theuma replied: “from Keith Schembri and Mr Valletta”
“Mr Valletta who?”, the Magistrate Rachel Montebello asked.
“The one who was with the police”, Theuma replied.
Theuma confirmed to Azzopardi that he is later referred to as “Valletta, the fat one” (loħxon) in a recording.
Azzopardi asked about the level of friendship between Yorgen Fenech, Keith Schembri, and Joseph Muscat. On Joseph Muscat, Theuma said he does not know.
“Did Yorgen tell you that there was a Whatsapp chat between him, Schembri, and Muscat?”, Azzopardi asks. “He did not tell me, no”, Theuma replied.
The friendship was between Fenech and Schembri, Theuma stated, adding that even when he had gone abroad with Fenech, Fenech had called up Schembri in front of him.
Asked further about Fenech and Schembri’s friendship, Theuma said Schembri once sent Fenech a picture of him cooking a rabbit, which Fenech showed Theuma.
“Yorgen Fenech did not know Kenneth (Camilleri). He only found out about him after I told him and then he went to find out who he was,” Theuma said.
He was again asked about the note with the phone numbers, and how he had felt comfortable naming Yorgen Fenech as the mastermind to a stranger. Theuma replied that he was confused and panicked when he saw his own number there.
He clarified that Fenech’s number was not on the note, and that he did not know whose numbers the other two were.
Melvin Theuma and Johann Cremona would meet regularly, practically every day after the bail request. “I would go crying, and he would try calm me down, and I would tell him about the case,” Theuma said.
“So you know Johann Cremona?” defence lawyer Marion Camilleri asked. “Yes, very well,” Theuma says. “And he knows Yorgen Fenech?” the magistrate asked. “Of course, they have a business together,” Theuma replied.
Asked why he had not recorded his conversations with Kenneth Camilleri, Theuma replied: “I didn’t need to record Kenneth, Yorgen is the person I needed to record because he gave me the money.”
Replying to more questions after another recording was played out, Theuma said Yorgen Fenech had told him that two people were passing information on to him.
One of them was Silvio Valletta, he said. “Valletta giving information to Keith Schembri?” the magistrate asked. “To Yorgen,”
Theuma replied.
In the recording, Fenech is heard speaking of someone who “went cold” when he heard of the assassination. Theuma clarified that this someone was Keith Schembri. “Before you did what you did you should have come and told me, but now I’ll help you,” Schembri had told Fenech, Theuma said.
“We didn’t use names when talking. Keith knew everything from Yorgen, Keith panicked and he sent Kenneth to calm me down,” Theuma said.
A claim made in the recording by Fenech was that someone has information about seven assassinations. Theuma clarified that Fenech was referring to Vince Muscat who, he explained, had offered information to the police about seven murders on the condition that he does not reveal anything related to the HSBC heist.
In another part of the recording, Fenech is heard saying that “they’ve arrived.”
This was Keith Schembri telling Yorgen Fenech that they had arrived at catching who was involved in the murder. “They were angry, Joseph and everyone,” followed.
Asked to clarify who this Joseph was, Theuma said it was Joseph Muscat, but added that this was the only time Muscat was mentioned.
Theuma said he had taken Fenech to the airport after the latter had attended the Prime
Minister’s private party at Girgenti Palace.
In the recordings, there are three levels of the crime mentioned: “Those who carried it out”; “Those who were in the middle,” and “Those who were on the top”.
Azzopardi asks Theuma who the “those” were. Theuma said that, from the middle down, it was just him, the two Degiorgios and Vince Muscat.
Judge Antonio Mizzi was mentioned in the recording. He was the judge who was going to hear the Degiorgio’s bail case. Theuma is heard in the recording asking Fenech whether he knew Mizzi, with Fenech replying that he did not.
“But do you think that he didn’t speak to him?” Fenech is heard in the recording. Theuma said that this was a reference to Keith Schembri. “So you think that this is Keith Schembri speaking to Judge Mizzi,” Azzopardi asked. Theuma nodded in agreement.
The case continues on 13 February, when a 53-minute long recording will be played out.
Lawyers Marion Camilleri and Gianluca Caruana Curran are assisting Yorgen Fenech.
The prosecution is being led by inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra, assisted by the state advocate.
Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia are appearing parte civile for the Caruana Galizia family.