Updated 1555 – Shocking testimonies in Daphne case
The day in Court was characterised by shocking testimony emerging from police investigator Kurt Zahra in the compilation against Yorgen Fenech, the alleged Caruana Galizia murder mastermind. Zahra said tht Fenech tld police that Keith Schembri had paid up to €80,000 to Melvin Theuma to fund the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Inspector Zahraalso testified that Fenech had told police that it was Schembri who had wanted to ‘get rid of’ Caruana Galizia and that Schembri would go almost daily to Fenech and say that Daphne Caruana Galizia needed to be killed. Fenech however denied ever actively seeking out someone to do this, Zahra testified.
Former PM’sMuscat’s relationship with Fenech exposed further
Former Joseph Muscat had told Fenech to make sure that “he controlled” Melvin Theuma, Fenech told police. Muscat contacted Fenech twice, once calling him to Castille, then at Girgenti party.
“In Yorgen Fenech’s chats we found that he was invited to the party at Girgenti. In one message the prime minister asked if Yorgen Fenech had enjoyed the event,” Inspector Kurt Zahra testified.
Updated 1259 – Covid-19 Update
The Health Department reported 37 new cases and 44 new recoveries today, taking Malta’s active tally to 657.
There were 2,542 swab tests taken yesterday.
The Health Department also said that of yesterday’s cases, 30 were related to existent clusters.
Updated 0821 – Newspaper Review
The Malta Business Weekly quotes Foreign Affairs Minister in an interview with the Financial Times who warned that rising hostilities over maritime territories between Turkey and Greece will destabilise the Mediterranean region.
The Times says that the suspect in the Sliema double murder, Daniel Muka, has has admitted to investigator that he was part of the group who committed the crime but denied that he was the mastermind.
In-Nazzjon says that the police are searching for two more suspects in relation to the murder of Chris Pandolfino and Ivor Maciejovski. Meanwhile, Daniel Muka, who was arrested on Tuesday is expected to be arraigned in court shortly.
The Independent reports on a meeting between the Education Ministry and the Teachers’ Union which minister Owen Bonnici described as positive. The Union, however, said that the ministry wants to hurry through protocols without proper consultation.
L-Orizzont carries an interview with Children’s Commissioner Pauline Miceli who said that the reopening of schools is in the interest of children. Miceli warned that the impact of the pandemic was negative on children and many are still afraid of going out.
Malta Today says members of the Valletta Business Community disagree over the best way to revitalise the City with tourism down by 80 percent from last year. Some operators are proposing late-night shopping, an idea backed by mayor Alfred Camilleri.
The Independent follows the testimony of two former Projects Malta chairpersons in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry. Adrian Said and William Wait contradicted claims by minister Edward Scicluna that the Finance Ministry was not apprised of developments.
The Times quotes the former chairman of Projects Malta who said that most of the meetings were held at the boardroom of the permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry. William Wait was testifying in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Wednesday.
In-Nazzjon reports on the testimony of former Projects Malta chairman Adrian Said who said that the Finance Ministry was kept duly informed and pointed to his own resignation letter which cited interference by the ministry as one of the reasons for stepping down.
L-Orizzont quotes Magistrate Joe Mifsud who said that decisions on bail requests must consider the interest of society. The magistrate denied bail to a man who was caught with large amounts of drugs.
The Malta Business Weekly announces that gaming content provider TVBEET will extend its services to Malta and Italy with global certification obtained from GLI. The company will now offer customisable software integration for providers.
L-Orizzont reports that 58-year-old Mario Mintoff succumbed to injuries after falling from a ladder in Valletta, where he was dismantling festa decorations. Friends and relatives described Mintoff as a gentleman.
Morning Briefing
Sliema murder developments
UPDATED 0819 – The Malta Police Force has confirmed earlier reports that a second arrest in connection with the Sliema murder has been made. It also stated that the first suspect will be arraigned in Court today.
A second man, thought to be an accomplice of Daniel Muka, has been arrested this night, according to Net News this morning. Meanwhile, The Times of Malta reported that Muka, who spent most of yesterday under police interrogation, has told the police that he was not the mastermind of the crime.
The two portals are also reporting that he two men who were in the same residence as the main suspect were released without a charge. Two other persons were seen on CCTV coming out of the residence where the double assassination took place.
PN leadership campaign
The two PN leadership hopefuls were yesterday interviewed separately on the national broadcaster. Incumbent leader Adrian Delia insisted that should the paid-up members re-elect him, his shadow cabinet will have no place for the so-called rebel group. “The measure of a leader is the way one solves this problem… there are those who, come what may, will not change their ways.
His rival, Bernard Grech, insisted that a united party was needed to take on Labour. “We need a rejuvenated party that truly offers an alternative to the Labour government,” he said on Rasimbras. He insisted on the need to strengthen the voice of the younger people within the party.
Both men said that they would seek the participation of the other contestant in the future of the party. While Grech said that he would offer Delia a role, the latter said that Bernard Grech would be part of the way forward.
Earlier yesterday, the two contestants argued publicly regarding time allocation on Net television.
Covid-19 in Malta
The Health Department reported 46 new cases of coronavirus in the previous 24 hours, with 48 recovering. The number of active cases has gone down slightly to 664, while the total number of cases reported so far in Malta reaches 1751.
