Cardona Confirms Friendship With Man Who State Witness Claimed Passed Money To Daphne Killer
Labour Party deputy leader Chris Cardona has confirmed his friendship with a man who allegedly facilitated a financial relationship with the suspected triggerman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination Alfred Degiorgio.
Anthony ‘Il-Biglee’ Chetcuti was named in court as the potential middleman “whose name starts with B” during lawyer Jason Azzopardi’s questioning of state witness Melvin Theuma over an alleged €350,000 fee for the murder revealed in secret recordings.
There have been claims that Biglee, who works at the Freeport, helped Cardona coordinate Degiorgio’s alleged contraband scheme referenced in the infamous frame-up letter.
“I’ve known Tony since he was a member of the police force. He was in a special section within the police force, which was called the special assignment group. Their job was to protect VIPs, both local and abroad,” Cardona told Lovin Malta.
“I got to know him through the police through the local courts. We struck a friendship because we are both supporters of Liverpool football club. We used to watch matches together, and we became friends.”
“He used to help me in my campaign, in my political campaigns. That is my relationship with Tony.”
Cardona, however, vociferously denied the contraband claims.
“The contraband claim doesn’t even tally with other stories. Did the money actually pass or not? Or was it a settlement in kind? Is there any proof of license granted, or any contraband at the Freeport? Somebody who has back to the wall would try anything possible to evade investigations and justice,” Cardona said.
Theuma told the court said he knew of the relationship from conversations he had with main suspect Yorgen Fenech and their mutual friend Johann Cremona. He said under oath that either Fenech or Cremona had once shown him a photo of this middleman, as have the police during questioning.
However, Cardona dismissed suggestions that Biglee is the man in the photo, even though that photo has not been exhibited in court.
“Anybody who knows Tony Biglee would realise that it’s not him. It is a completely different person,” he said.
Cardona’s name has continuously come up during the case with details of his relationship with Alfred Degiorgio that included burner phones, family jobs, and marijuana procurement emerging.
He has vehemently denied the allegations made against him, saying the information was fed to Theuma as part of an “evil and malignant” plot to frame him for Caruana Galizia’s murder. He warned that his resignation as Deputy Party Leader would only make allegations more believable.
What do you make of the claims?
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