Last week Jorgen Fenech, a rich casino operator in Malta, was arrested for a suspected connection to the 2017 murder of renowned journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Authorities are hoping now he discloses the names on his powerful friends.
Galizia was well known for her ability to dig up corruption among Malta’s political leaders, and this has always been supposed to be the reason she was killed. As the investigation heats up, two high-ranking political figures have just left their posts which adds weight to the rumor, and the casino figure seemingly knows something. If offered complete immunity, he’s willing to talk.
Galizia’s often wrote for The Malta Independent and she was deeply involved in scanning through the information released with the scandalous Panama Papers in 2016. Those papers exposed high-level corruption between politicians and even a few world leaders, but she was killed by a car bomb before she could disclose anything else. Her last words to the public suggest something “desperate” going on in Malta and “that crook Keith Schembri.”
Until this week, Schembri was the chief aide to Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. On November 25, he resigned on November 25, along with Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi, Energy Secretary at the time of Galizia’s death. Also, Economy Minister Christian Cardona publicly accepted that he would be discharged from his post effective immediately.
As mentioned on the Calvinayre.com website, Fenech is the casino tycoon who was arrested last Wednesday and who seemingly has knowledge of the 2017 bombing. Previously, he was the CEO of the Tumas Group, but resigned just prior to his arrest. Tumas operates three casinos in Malta, the only company with many venues in operation.
Fenech has hinted that he’ll reveal everything if he’s given full immunity. Most likely that idea stems from the presidential pardon given to Melvin Theuma, another one who declares he has evidence about what really happened and who was involved in the journalist’s murder.
Theuma was arrested for supposed money laundering in an investigation unconnected to the murder; however, he offered to disclose his information in exchange for immunity. That immunity will be granted provided his evidence holds up, and the Maltese government seems to be struggling to keep the walls from crumbling down.
Investigators say they have the three individuals connected with the crime already – two brothers and an associate. These aren’t revealing however, who was the mastermind and Theuma and Fenech might be able to disclose that information.
