Education Minister Evarist Bartolo was noticeably absent from Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s press conference announcing that cabinet had rejected a second request for a pardon from Yorgen Fenech, the main suspect in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Fenech’s pardon would have revealed allegations surrounding Muscat’s former chief of staff Schembri in the murder and other corruption cases.

While Muscat lightly brushed off Bartolo’s absence, he was immediately spotted in the halls of Castille by journalists once they left the press conference.

Bartolo has been an outspoken cabinet member since the news broke of Fenech’s arrest. Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds Aaron Farrugia, another critic, was also not at the press conference.

Finance Minister Edward Scicluna did also not attend, but it is unclear why.

The news of the pardon rejection came after a seven-hour cabinet meeting that was urgently called by Muscat. While the Cabinet voted unanimously against the pardon, it would seem that the group had issues to air.

Fenech has filed a constitutional case to remove chief homicide inspector Keith Arnaud from the murder investigation, as well as a warrant of a prohibitory injunction to restrain police from proceeding with the investigations pending the outcome of the case. Fenech swore under oath that Schembri had told him that Arnaud had given him detailed updates about the case.

Meanwhile, the murder suspect has also formally requested President George Vella to intervene in his request for a pardon, warning that this request shouldn’t be ruled upon by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet when the damaging information he wants to divulge concerns people close to them. Besides Schembri, Fenech has also claimed to have information on former ministers Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona.