The testimony of deputy Attorney General Philip Farrugia Galea last Wednesday might not have been as chilling as that narrated by Vincent Muscat, one of the self-confessed assassins of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
While Muscat has chronicled the sinister murder plot and execution, Farrugia Galea made the case as to why suspect Yorgen Fenech should not be given bail.
In his testimony, the deputy AG rubbished the defence’s claims that Fenech had no intention of fleeing the country when he was stopped aboard his yacht at dawn in November 2019.
To back his claims, Farrugia Galea read out a flurry of text messages that Fenech exchanged with his uncle and brother in the hours before his arrest.
The messages sketched out what appeared to be Fenech’s escape plan: he would sail out on his yacht with his captain, his brother would take the ferry to Sicily, from there, they would make their way to Nice, France, where a horse trader would provide them with a small truck. His uncle urged him to “go while you’re still in time”.
Meanwhile, a certain “K” (could it be Keith Schembri?) told Fenech to keep calm because “nothing will happen today”.
The deputy AG painted a picture of a concerted effort to get a murder suspect off the hook. It is not the first time we have heard such compelling evidence.
Court testimony and police and media investigations over the past three years have pointed to a conspiracy of associates, government officials and even top police officers engaged in intimate dealings with the suspects in the murder and apparently colluding in a cover-up.
In another court sitting on Friday, we heard that one of Caruana Galizia’s alleged killers suggested contacting then minister Chris Cardona when it appeared the murder plot would fall through.
While it is encouraging to see that six men have now been charged in connection with Caruana Galizia’s murder, it is clear a number of others did their utmost to ensure the journalist’s murder would remain unresolved
All deny any connection.
Several stories we have reported in recent months clearly shows an attempt at sabotaging investigations and in ensuring suspects walk free.
While it is encouraging to see that six men have now been charged in connection with Caruana Galizia’s murder, it is clear a number of others did their utmost to ensure the journalist’s murder would remain unresolved.
Secret messages were sent, undercover meetings were held and attempts were made to deflect attention.
There is mounting evidence that some police officers were acting like tools in the hands of the men they were meant to be investigating.
Suffice it to say that several court testimonies have shown Fenech was constantly informed of developments in the murder investigation, including in the months before the police started zeroing in on him.
We are still getting to know the full extent of the spider’s web.
But from the evidence so far, there could have been around 10 men who were potentially involved in a cover-up: these 10 were aware their friends/associates/family members were wanted for murder, and instead of urging them to give themselves up, colluded and covered up to try to dodge justice.
The police are somewhat in a quandary since Malta’s criminal code only caters for complicity prior to a murder. This underlines the need to kick off legislative reforms that would legally enable the prosecution to fight high-level organised crime. But the prosecution is now duty-bound to focus on those who passed on security service information to third parties, which in itself is a clear breach of national security.
And until that happens, the attempts of several men to obstruct the course of justice to protect the executioners of one woman will remain an indelible stain in this country’s history.