The arrest of Robert and Adrian Agius, known as Tal-Maksar, together with their associate Jamie Vella three weeks ago made Malta a safer place. The three were notorious in criminal circles and their freedom to continue roaming the streets reflected the culture of impunity that had taken root in Malta in the last decade.
But the disturbing court testimony on Thursday by Vincent Muscat, the second man who has confessed to playing a part in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, showed that Malta is far from safe from criminal elements who have so far dodged justice.
During his first testimony, Muscat chronicled the brutal plan to eliminate Caruana Galizia, at one point citing a suggestion to blow her up with a car bomb even at the expense of killing others who may be travelling with her.
What was equally shocking is the way he mentioned high-profile officials connected with the crime and the cover-up. The names of former economy minister Chris Cardona and chief of staff Keith Schembri, together with their associates, have long been connected with the crime, but when a convicted murderer references them in court in his first public statement, then it confirms that the story is far from over.
Muscat identified the former minister as a contact and source of information for the suspects while the probe was taking place. He said Cardona met with alleged hitman Alfred Degiorgio and provided him with information on Caruana Galizia’s whereabouts.
Times of Malta recently reported how Muscat recently talked the police through a parallel plot to eliminate Caruana Galizia in 2015 implicating Cardona.
Muscat also said Degiorgio had linked Keith Schembri to David Gatt (also a former associate of Cardona), who visited them at the Marsa shed.
There is ample evidence of the intimate friendship between murder suspect Yorgen Fenech and Schembri. Suffice it to say the two spent a long time on the phone just hours before the businessman was arrested as he left Malta on his yacht before his arrest in November 2019.
Muscat’s testimony that the suspects were tipped off about an impending raid a whole three weeks before it took place shows that the investigation was fraught with leaks intended to benefit the perpetrators.
The country waits to see how the police are going to treat the latest statements in court and if they are convinced by the evidence of their own witness. We still do not know if police have investigated the possibility of a potential conspiracy to commit murder.
Even the biggest sceptic today realises there are grounds for the police to once again investigate both Cardona and Schembri, at least for colluding in a cover up of Caruana Galizia’s murder.
The police are known to be hampered with Maltese law, which is known to have weak provisions for association with a crime after it is carried out. However, Schembri should be at the very least investigated over whether he breached the Official Secrets Act, which is designed to regulate the disclosure of confidential information by public officials.
Though unaware of the masterminds of the crime, Muscat also crucially said the hitmen were being pushed to carry out the execution before Caruana Galizia publishes “more information”. This appears to corroborate previous testimony given by murder middleman Melvin Theuma, who said he was receiving the orders from businessman Yorgen Fenech.
Muscat’s stunning testimony even prompted Lawrence Gonzi to break his silence. In a Facebook post, the former prime minister said: “if our country is to find some form of healing, we require a greater effort from everyone to expose this entire evil web once and for all”.
The rest of the country expects no less from our authorities.