The recent Keith Schembri interrogation was probably one of the most fruitful sessions to be held by the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination board of inquiry. We started off by finally understanding why Joseph Muscat is so psychologically subservient to Schembri, when he revealed that he got Muscat a job at Super One and KullĦadd newspaper after speaking to Evarist Bartolo.
We also got a good idea of the forma mentis of Muscat and Schembri when the latter declared that his priority was that of holding meetings with people in many business sectors and trying to understand how to make their lives better. Business first is Labour’s motto: the opposite of what democracy with a social conscience is.
In the public inquiry, Schembri stated that Electrogas was not discussed before the 2013 election by the Labour Party.
But read what Mark Gasan had testified weeks before: “I was first approached about it by George Fenech in 2013. George pitched the idea. The Labour Party had an energy grant and we tried to form a Maltese consortium”.
Who is lying here?
Schembri told the inquiry panel: “Yorgen qatt ma tani xejn” (Yorgen never gave me anything).
Pinocchio! Fenech paid Schembri’s €24,000 Mayo clinic bill in Minnesota in 2016.
Schembri then went on the attack, effectively accusing Edward Scicluna of being a liar since, he said, Scicluna was involved in the Electrogas issue from day one.
He then declared that Saviour Balzan was exerting pressure on him, basically implying that Balzan would badmouth him in some article if he did not give him TV programmes.
And he even accused the four big auditing companies of unethical behaviour since they have 10 shell companies each set up abroad just in case they need one at short notice.
He also said that Eddie Fenech Adami, Adrian Delia, Alfred Sant, Muscat, Labour ministers and Labour and PN officials had had free meals at the Tumas Żebbuġ ranch.
Even more serious accusations were those against Brian Tonna and Karl Cini of Nexia BT. They had given a fictitious amount with regard to cash flow to Mossack Fonseca when setting up his Panama company.
Keith Schembri’s testimony contrasts with what Joseph Muscat has maintained- Arnold Cassola
He then practically accused Nexia of being fraudsters and of falsifying his signature: “I don’t know who Macbridge belongs to. I told the auditors that I never gave them that name. 17 Black, I indicated myself, but Macbridge I did not.” He even insisted that Macbridge was not his idea. “They were included in business plans but not by me. I swear this is the truth”.
But then the pill is sweetened because Schembri admits cheating in Panama was only a temporary measure: “In fact, when I saw the problems at opening accounts and so on, I went to Nexia and told them to stop,” he said.
After all, since he “sees nothing wrong with businessmen having offshore structures”, businessmen have a right to avoid taxes, right?
But the most damning revelations concerned Muscat. Schembri confirms Muscat knew he was planning business deals with Fenech while working as chief of staff. He revealed that Muscat always knew that Schembri was Fenech’s friend.
Schembri also said he did have conversations with Muscat on 17 Black and informed him that Fenech was the UBO.
Schembri’s testimony contrasts with what Muscat has maintained. Muscat spent two or three years saying he didn’t know about 17 Black and that he had never spoken to Schembri about it. Considering that certain evidence is pointing towards the intended 17 Black bribes having been the motive behind Caruana Galizia’s assassination, for the sake of truth and justice, it becomes imperative that Muscat is recalled by the inquiry board to explain his contradictory declarations.
Schembri also revealed, not once but twice, that he “never did anything behind Joseph Muscat’s back”.
Does this mean Muscat knew Schembri had called Melvin Theuma and offered him a government job through Sandro Craus, another person of trust in Muscat’s secretariat?
Does “not doing anything behind Joseph Muscat’s back” also mean that Muscat was informed of the letter with instructions to frame Chris Cardona, sent by Schembri to Fenech through Adrian Vella?
All this constitutes damning revelations.
The inquiry board should recall Muscat immediately to clarify his contradictions and his apparent lies and to answer all the questions necessary for the truth to come out.
The police should then get on seriously with their work of investigating suspected lies and prosecuting crooks.
Arnold Cassola is an independent candidate, former secretary general of the European Greens.