Former minister Chris Cardona has refused to comment after an alleged transcript of a letter linking him to journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder was published online. 

Times of Malta first revealed the existence of the typed note, allegedly passed between murder suspect Yorgen Fenech and Keith Schembri, which attempted to pin the car bomb on former Economy Minister Chris Cardona. 

The letter, which was apparently meant as a script for what Mr Fenech should tell investigators, paints self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma as a blackmailer who was in cahoots with Dr Cardona. 

“I was never scared of justice. I was scared for my family, my business and my life from the dangerous blackmail that was imposed by Melvin and the people behind him.

“I now understand that Melvin was cooking something up with Cardona and that they tried to pin it on me so that they could get rid of me and fleece me of more money,” one excerpt of the letter published by Lovin Malta reads. 

Times of Malta last month reported that police feared the letter was too contaminated to yield any useful forensic evidence. 

Dr Cardona, who was questioned by police investigating the 2017 murder, has previously said the claims made in the letter, which included that he allegedly offered a smuggling deal for the hit, were unfounded. 

He refused to comment further when contacted by Times of Malta on Thursday. 

Mr Fenech claims the letter was delivered by his doctor Adrian Vella while he was receiving treatment and during a brief reprieve from interrogation last month.

He claims the typed note was written by, or on behalf of, Mr Schembri who was also a patient of Dr Vella.

It was allegedly designed to frame Dr Cardona as being an integral part of the murder conspiracy.

A Cabinet shake-up by Malta's new Prime Minister Roberta Abela relegated Dr Cardona to the backbench.