Live blog: Yorgen Fenech trial enters day 23

The trial of Yorgen Fenech continues on Monday, as prosecutors continue to summon witnesses to testify in the case. 

Fenech, a prominent businessman, is pleading not guilty to complicity in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

Last week the court heard the testimonies of former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, Fenech's business associate Johann Cremona, OPM security guard Kenneth Camilleri and various court-appointed experts. 

Refresh the page for the latest updates.

Live blog

Testimony ongoing 

11.40am Testimony is ongoing, but we are forbidden from covering it. This live blog will resume once the witness is done and the judge allows reporting to resume.

MSS chief to testify behind closed doors

10.28am The head of the Malta Security Service is to testify. But that testimony will be held in private, at the request of prosecutors.

Devices at Portomaso

10.20am Another Europol expert takes the stand. 

Israel Cordillo Torres was also involved in extracting data from devices at Portomaso. Like his colleague, he summarises his work for the jury.

A juror notes that one of the devices was listed as either brand new or formatted to factory settings. Is there any way of knowing whether it was new or reset?

No, the witness replies. 

Europol forensic expert

9.54am After that somewhat confusing testimony, we hear (briefly) from Europol forensic examiner Dennis Petru. 

Petru was responsible for extracting data from devices seized from (Fenech-owned) Portomaso and Tumas Group offices. He explains what he did and is done testifying – no cross-examination.

Letter on a pendrive 

9.32am The day’s first witness is Stephania Calafato Testa. She is an assistant registrar at the criminal courts.

She testifies about a USB pendrive containing transcripts related to the case, which were presented into evidence.

Defence lawyers note that one of the documents on that pendrive is a letter written by a prosecutor in Catania, Italy, which flags the possibility that a company director named Alexander Azzopardi paid €35,000 via a man named Mario Fava to have Caruana Galizia killed.

Prosecutors then read extracts of the letter. In it, the Sicilian prosecutor says that Azzopardi was recorded saying that he relayed €35,000 via Fava, who he describes in the letter as “a political consultant of Joseph Muscat’s.” Azzopardi says he will be paying €4 million in total for the crime.

Court hearing begins

9.12am The judge and jury are in court. Monday’s court hearing can begin. 

What happened last week? 

8.48am This is a long and complicated trial, and we know it can be hard to keep up with what's happening. 

Our court correspondent Clara Farrugia has been providing weekly summaries of the trial on Times Talk. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to make sure you don't miss an episode. You can watch last week's edition in the video below.

Welcome 

8.45am Good morning and welcome to this live blog. We're at the Valletta law courts. Today's court hearing is due to begin at 9am.