Assistant Commissioner Says Lawyer Floated €1 Million Reward For Koħħu

Assistant Police Commissioner Keith Arnaud said that lawyer Arthur Azzopardi had floated the idea of claiming a €1 million government reward for his then-client Vince Muscat (known as Il-Koħħu).

As reported by Times of Malta from court, Arnaud – who was the lead investigator in the case – testified in an ongoing trial by jury.

He said that Azzopardi suggested this when he accompanied Muscat to a meeting with Arnaud at the police headquarters after Muscat agreed to provide information as part of a plea deal.

Arnaud said that when he and Azzopardi were walking out of the police headquarters, the lawyer told him that “we’re going to ask for the €1 million reward”.

He said he immediately shot down the idea of granting a confessed murderer both a presidential pardon and €1 million.

Azzopardi allegedly responded “So he retracts everything.

Arnaud said he thought that Azzopardi was joking and that Muscat never ended up requesting the €1 million reward.

Shortly after Caruana Galizia’s assassination in 2017, the government offered a €1 million reward for any information that could identify the cultists. The assassinated journalist’s family had criticised this offer.