Murder suspect Yorgen Fenech has categorically denied any direct or indirect involvement in a disinformation campaign based on fake email exchanges and fraudulent websites.
Since last week, a number of websites, including TVM, Lovin Malta, Newsbook, Net News and Repubblika’s, have been the target of website spoofing. Fraudulent links set up to look like legitimate news portals were disseminated, carrying false stories.
The targets of the false stories seem to have been orchestrated in a way that would cast doubt upon the ongoing prosecution of Fenech, who is accused of masterminding the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, as well as attacking the credibility of some of his most vocal critics, including blogger Manuel Delia and Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi.
Fenech categorically denies link
But on Monday, Fenech distanced himself from the matter.
“Yorgen Fenech categorically denies any allegations linking him in any way, either directly or indirectly, to these spoof websites,” Fenech’s lawyer Charles Mercieca told Times of Malta.
“Perhaps it is of note that Mr Fenech’s lawyers have also been targeted by these spoof publications used in a bid to give the impression that they stand to gain from such publications. It cannot be stressed enough that such deceiving publications can never be condoned in anyway,” Mercieca said.
“Despite himself being the victim of a virulent press campaign orchestrated to obscure his character and pervert the course of justice, Mr Fenech is fully concentrated and focused on proving his innocence in a court of law.”
Links to false articles released as part of the disinformation campaign.Fake email exchanges
Apart from spoof websites, the campaign has also focused on disseminating fake email exchanges. Journalists received fake emails containing false exchanges between Manuel Delia and Jason Azzopardi as well as emails pretending to be from Prime Minister Robert Abela or Opposition Leader Bernard Grech.
A fake email received by a Times of Malta journalist from “Robert Abela” makes mention of one of blogger Simon Mercieca’s posts. A WhatsApp channel with a number linked to the US that was used to widely circulate the spoofed websites also included links to Mercieca’s blogs.
When asked to comment about his blog posts being circulated in the same channels as false websites, Mercieca said that he had no comment to make and had no information on the situation.
A spoof Lovin Malta article claims that middleman Melvin Theuma lied under oath.“I know nothing about the link that you are asserting was done to one of my articles,” he said.
“I don't know anything about this. To my knowledge, I am not part of the WhatsApp group you are referring to.”
In a subsequent blog post, Mercieca said that including links to his blog in channels peddling fake news were attempts to frame him and that he had reported the activity to the police.
Prime Minister Abela, who has condemned the disinformation campaign, said he has reported the issue to the Malta Information and Technology Agency (MITA) and indicated that he will be calling on the National Cyber Crime Committee to draft proposals to counter such activity.
“These acts are not only condemnable but have no place in society,” Abela’s office said on Tuesday.
Opposition leader Bernard Grech also condemned the spoofing after he was targeted using fake emails on Tuesday.
“These are dangerous anti-democratic tactics. We cannot allow them to go unpunished. We cannot accept to strengthen the culture of impunity that led to the murder of a journalist.”
A police spokesperson confirmed that the Cyber Crime Unit was investigating the spoof websites.
Protest on Tuesday evening
In response to the escalating disinformation campaign, Repubblika, Occupy Justice and Manuel Delia announced a demonstration outside Auberge de Castille at 6.30pm on Tuesday.
In a joint statement, they said: “The organisers call on Maltese and Gozitans of good will to attend this demonstration and defend our democracy.”
Repubblika president Robert Aquilina and Delia, a journalist and activist, have both been promised police protection after Aquilina said he had been warned by a Labour politician concerned for his safety to “be careful”.