Former Economy Minister Chris Cardona allegedly met with suspected triggerman Alfred Degiorgio and provided him with information on Daphne Caruana Galizia’s whereabouts through the aid of then-Assitant Commissioner Silvio Valletta. 

The sensational claim was made by Vince Muscat, who has pleaded guilty for his role in carrying out the assassination, in the compilation of evidence against Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio. The sitting is still underway.

He explained that the three hitmen, Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio, and himself, were growing frustrated with the lack of information on Caruana Galizia to help them carry out the murder.

Degiorgio said he would reach out to his own sources for information. On one occasion, Muscat dropped him off at Castille. Degiorgio would later tell him that he met with Cardona. 

Degiorgio said that Cardona would reach out to a high-profile lawyer, who cannot be named because of a court order, who would in turn reach out to Silvio Valletta for information. 

Muscat reiterated in court that these were Degiorgio’s claims and that he does not have first-hand knowledge. 

Cardona allegedly knew of the murder plot and that the men had been paid €150,000 to kill her. 

The former minister has cropped in the case before. State witness Melvin Theuma has detailed a financial relationship between Cardona and  Degiorgio, suggesting he used middleman Tony ‘Il-Biglee’ Chetcuti to pass on payment.

More sensationally, Theuma said that Fenech claimed Cardona was so worried about the murder that he ended up hospitalised after an overdose on pills. Meanwhile, it’s also been claimed his relationship with Degiorgio included burner phones, family jobs, and a potential marijuana procurement license.

He was thrown in the spotlight after Yorgen Fenech’s arrest when it emerged that a letter detailing his involvement in the killing was revealed as having been sent to Fenech by then OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri via their mutual doctor.

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.

Valletta, who was leading the case into the assassination until he was forcibly removed by court order, has also been name-dropped throughout the case.

Theuma has confirmed that both he and Fenech were informed of the raids well in advance. Theuma says that Fenech said he got the information directly from Keith Schembri and Valletta, who is the recently estranged husband of Education Minister Justyne Caruana.

The pair allegedly leaked a wealth of information on Muscat’s attempts to get a pardon, information that their phones were wiretapped, and that Chris Cardona’s number was discovered on the phone of one of Caruana Galizia’s killers.

Valletta, who is referred to as “Valletta l-oħxon” in Theuma’s secret recordings of Fenech, was leading the case into the assassination until he was forcibly removed by court order.

He was the one who set up unprecedented briefings with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri on the case. The briefings started soon after the murder and continued up until a month before Theuma’s arrest.

Valletta was revealed to have held intimate dinners with Fenech and to have gone abroad with him on at least two occasions. Meanwhile, there exists a video of Valletta “fooling around” in Fenech’s Rolls Royce.

What do you think of the claim? Comment below