Fenech Alleges Police Frame-Up During Murder Trial Cross-Examination
· Updated
In brief
- Yorgen Fenech claimed in court that investigators protected Keith Schembri and framed him for Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder.
- The accused faced cross-examination from prosecutor Godwin Cini as the trial reached its 48th day.
- Testimony also focused on the timing of corporate name changes linked to the offshore company 17 Black.
Yorgen Fenech accused police investigators of steering the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder inquiry away from former Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff Keith Schembri and using middleman Melvin Theuma's testimony to frame him.
Fenech made the claims during his cross-examination by prosecutor Godwin Cini in front of the jury, where proceedings have entered their 48th day.
During the tense questioning, the prosecution pressed the defendant on the financial structures linked to 17 Black, questioning the motivation behind changes made to corporate entities following adverse media exposure.
Fenech maintained that evidence had been selectively presented to target him, arguing that critical lines of inquiry concerning senior political figures were intentionally bypassed during the initial murder investigation.
The cross-examination forms a pivotal phase of the ongoing trial, as the prosecution tests the consistency of the defence's claims regarding the planning and execution of the 2017 assassination.
During the ongoing cross-examination in the trial concerning the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, prosecutor Godwin Cini challenged Yorgen Fenech over the financial motives behind the crime, focusing on the offshore company 17 Black and the Electrogas project.
Under questioning, Fenech acknowledged that he did not alert the police or warn Caruana Galizia's family after allegedly learning that a €30,000 deposit had been paid to execute the murder, telling the court that he would act differently if he could turn back time.
Prosecutors also confronted Fenech regarding his admissions regarding financial payments connected to the plot. Fenech insisted during proceedings that his involvement was driven by Melvin Theuma and former government chief of staff Keith Schembri, denying that he personally sought the journalist's assassination.
The Spin Room
Low media divide. Independent outlets provided consistent factual coverage of the courtroom cross-examination proceedings without divergence in factual details.
Updates
- : Prosecutors pressed Yorgen Fenech over 17 Black, Electrogas, and his failure to warn authorities after learning of a €30,000 murder deposit.