Daphne Public Inquiry Wants To Take A Look At Yorgen Fenech’s WhatsApp Chats
Yorgen Fenech’s WhatsApp messages and other electronic data from the murder suspect’s devices could soon be analysed by a panel of judges looking into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
At the end of yesterday’s sitting, which saw former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri testify at length, the board’s chairman, Judge Emeritus Michael Mallia, confirmed the public inquiry fully intends to continue its work into the new year.
“The search for truth should never be subjected to arbitrary and unilateral terms which may condition those called to judge,” he said.
Prime Minister Robert Abela has repeatedly said the inquiry should end on 15th December, arguing that its terms of reference came with an initial nine-month deadline which was extended by three months after the courts had to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, Mallia noted that that this deadline comes with a proviso about “the proper fulfilment” of the inquiry’s brief, which grant the investigation an element of flexibility.
He noted that new evidence has come to light in the form of a trove of data from the phone and electronic devices of Yorgen Fenech, the businessman charged with conspiring to assassinate Caruana Galizia.
Police commissioner Angelo Gafa, Economic Crimes Unit head Alexandra Mamo and homicide inspector Kurt Zahra testified that this data, which was analysed by Europol forensic experts and presented to court in hard drives last month, could be “substantially useful” to the public inquiry.
Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri
Fenech’s phone and devices could open several new avenues for the public inquiry and open a can of worms.
The data includes several intimate conversations between Fenech and people in positions of power, including a WhatsApp chat he stated with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his chief of staff Keith Schembri, and another chat he shared with Schembri, former deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta and former MFSA CEO Joe Cuschieri.
Police have also opened at least eleven other investigations into suspected crimes after analysing the data.
And while several communications between Fenech and people in positions of power may be irrelevant to the murder case or other police investigations, they could certainly be relevant to the public inquiry, which is looking into whether the state could have prevented the assassination.
Proof of a close relationship between Fenech and several people in positions of power could give credence to warnings that the businessman had allegedly commissioned the murder because he felt protected by the powers that be.
What do you think we’ll learn from Yorgen Fenech’s phone?
READ NEXT: Storm On The Horizon: Yorgen Fenech’s Phone Set To Be Presented Tomorrow And Could Trigger A Major Crisis
