The police are mulling the idea of offering a plea bargaining deal in Yorgen Fenech’s arrest, sources have told The Malta Independent. The report claims that sources said that the idea of a plea bargain was brought up during this second round of questioning. A plea bargain is an agreement between a suspect and the prosecution where the former admits to a crime in return for some form of concession or a lesser sentence.
The report adds that it is unknown at this time whether Fenech will accept the offer.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the leader of the Opposition met with President George Vella in San Anton Palace. This comes after having stated that he will be recommending a presidential pardon to the alleged middle-man in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder. Opposition Leader called for an urgent meeting to discuss the present happenings.
Meanwhile. a protest organised by civil society groups Repubblika, Occupy Justice and blogger Manuel Delia was held this evening in Valletta.
While justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia is close, it is being stifled by political interference, protesters said. The protest kicked off with Manuel Delia saying that while it felt as though justice would finally see the light of day, the same justice was being delayed by political interference and the authorities.
Delia appealed for calm, after a police officer was injured on Wednesday during a similar protest. She was hit by the official car of Justice Minister Owen Bonnici, which was circled by the crowd outside parliament.
Protestors also appealed to MPs from both sides of Parliament who consider themselves to be honest citizens to stand up and be counted by seeking to remove “the corrupt and the accomplices of murderers” while embarking on a “cleansing of public life” in Malta, Newsbook reports.
Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family said that they are “dismayed” at how Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is putting himself at the centre of the investigation into her assassination. In a statement, the Caruana Galizia family reminded the Prime Minister that the assassination investigation implicates his own office and his closest officials and as such he has no place anywhere near the investigation and we trust that he will now distance himself from it. In their statement, the family added that they are prepared to use all legal means at our disposal to ensure that the investigation is independent and impartial, and that it runs its full course.
The Independent reported that Yorgen Fenech was back at the police depot after spending part of the morning accompanying police officers while they conducted a search on the yacht.
In the past hours, a number of persons who are described ‘of interest’ to the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination have been interrogated by the police, according to reports on Newsbook.com.mt.
According to the report, the persons of interest were mentioned by businessman and owner of 17 Black, Yorgen Fenech, who has been released on police bail yesterday evening, a few hours before the 48-hours timeframe for charges to be made in court against him elapsed.
The Prime Minister also dismissed concerns about him potentially having a conflict of interest in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case, telling journalists: “I do not shelter anyone”.
Maltese law stipulates that a person cannot be kept under arrest for more than 48-hours without being charged with a crime. The Executive Council of the Institute appealed to the Prime Minister to immediately stop these malpractices. It said that all news houses and every journalist should be given equal treatment by the Government.
“Once police prosecute someone, they do not have the right to further question him,” Dr Muscat said in his Press briefing on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the Institute of Maltese Journalists in a strongly worded statement condemned the way the Office of the Prime Minister is censuring a number of media houses.
Fenech was back in police custody this morning, kicking off another 48-hour time window.
An individual’s right to police bail is detailed in Chapter 9 of Malta’s criminal code. Article 355AJ(3) stipulates that suspects must be released after 48 hours if they have not been charged. Article 355AL details the conditions under which a suspect can be released in such cases.
Sources told Times of Malta that Mr Fenech was given police bail after the search was completed. He will be subjected to 24-hour surveillance and a police officer would be standing guard by his docked boat around the clock.
He was escorted out of the Police Headquarters, Floriana at around 20:30h on Thursday, where he was being held for interrogation as a “person of interest” in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. He was taken directly to his yacht, the ‘Gio’ at Portomaso marina.
Fenech was expected to spend the night at home, under strict surveillance. The same sources said that this is considered to be an unexpected twist in the case. They added that it is not excluded that during his interrogation Fenech mentioned others who could be ‘persons of interest’ for the police.
Mr Fenech was arrested early on Wednesday morning shortly after exiting the Portomaso marina in St Julian’s aboard his yacht. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat subsequently confirmed Mr Fenech is a “person of interest” in the murder case of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that so far the suspected middleman had not given complete information and that the pardon was still pending.
Delia said Joseph Muscat was leading an illegitimate government and his procrastination was “blessing corruption”. “Muscat’s behaviour is beyond belief,” Delia added.
A report on In-Nazzjon says that there are recordings of phone calls between the businessman and the suspected middleman arrested last week.
Meanwhile, the man who is believed to have acted as the “middleman” in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia was admitted to hospital early on Friday morning, according to sources, quoted by The Times. Melvyn Theuma, 41, complained of “medical issues” and was taken to Mater Dei Hospital, accompanied by police officers, the sources said.
Reports say that investigations are painstakingly piecing together the picture before proceeding with further prosecutions, a process that requires more time.
In another development, a large shredding van was observed at Portomaso, the head offices of the Tumas Group and the residence of Yorgen Fenech. Yorgen Fenech, in the meantime seems to have been spirited away.
Another development came from Sicily when Yorgen Fenech’s name has cropped up in connection with a match fixing investigation in the Sicilian city of Catania.
Fenech has been mentioned as a person of interest by the public prosecutor of Catania in a probe called I Treni Del Gol (The trains of goals), La Sicilia newspaper reports.
Developing Story
Via Newsbook, Malta Independent, Times of Malta, In-Nazzjon, MaltaToday
