Yorgen Fenech’s mobile chat with his uncle on the eve of his arrest was the focus of a court hearing in libel proceedings concerning a former Times of Malta journalist.
Snippets of that phone conversation were read out in open court by the lead investigator in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination probe.
Superintendent Keith Arnaud was summoned to testify in a set of mutual libel suits filed by former reporter Ivan Camilleri and Malta Today managing director Saviour Balzan.
A reference to a Times of Malta journalist had been made by Arnaud back in December 2019 when testifying in the ongoing murder compilation against the businessman, accused as an accomplice in the Caruana Galizia assassination.
“The reference was to ‘Ivan tat-Times,’” testified Arnaud, when answering questions by Camilleri’s lawyer, Peter Fenech.
The high-ranking police officer then explained how he had consulted the transcripts of that testimony given by him in December 2019 and had found no mention of any ‘Ivan’.
“Do you know how many Ivans were there at Allied Newspapers?” came the next question.
“I know surely of two and I know that through media reports: Ivan Camilleri and Ivan Martin. It’s in the public domain,” Arnaud replied.
Saviour Balzan’s lawyer, Veronique Dalli continued along the same line: "In the course of your investigations, you found out that Fenech was leaked information by ‘Ivan tat-Times’”.
Arnaud replied that this was the case.
Asked directly by the court, presided over by magistrate Rachel Montebello, to explain the context of the reference, Arnaud produced a copy of the mobile chat and proceeded to read snippets from it.
“Portomaso marina hawn tat-Times. Tani tip Ivan [The Times is at the Portomaso marina. Tip from Ivan]". Fenech had texted his uncle Ray at 6.15pm that evening, hours before his arrest.
“Ivan qalli jien għax kien newsroom u semagħhom [Ivan told me because he was in the newsroom and heard them],” the chat went on.
“He [Ivan] did say that they had a tip-off from some apartment here.”
Those messages were sent on November 19, 2019 at precisely 7pm, Arnaud confirmed.
Following Arnaud’s testimony at the murder proceedings in 2019, Balzan had penned an article titled, “Times sacks Ivan Camilleri after alleged tip-off to Yorgen Fenech mentioned in court.”
During the sitting, former Times of Malta editor Ray Bugeja also took the witness stand, stating that throughout the years at the newsroom he had never received any reports alleging that Camilleri received payments for writing certain stories.
Questions in this case pivoted upon another article published by Balzan claiming that “Ivan Camilleri’s stories should be given a good scrutiny by his former employers,” and further alleging that such stories stemmed from “cosy relationships with vested business interests” and that there were “other motives at heart.”
Faced with that text, Bugeja said he obviously did not know what the author had in mind but confirmed that Times of Malta took such matters “very seriously,” even as witnessed just “few days ago,” clearly referring to the alleged bribery case involving two of Fenech’s lawyers and Times of Malta journalist, Ivan Martin.
Criticism about stories written by various journalists was a daily occurrence, from all levels of society, claiming political bias or leanings or anything of the sort, but “I never got claims about money,” Bugeja explained.
The libel cases continue in April.