Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff Keith Schembri and Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech shared a private WhatsApp group, Lovin Malta can reveal.

Well-informed sources have confirmed the existence of the WhatsApp group. However, its contents are currently unknown. Lovin Malta is not aware of when the group was formed or when it stopped being operational.

The issue was even raised in court earlier today. Caruana Galizia lawyer Jason Azzopardi even asked middleman Melvin Theuma if he was aware of the group. Theuma said he wasn’t.

Fenech’s relationship with Muscat and Schembri has been under the microscope ever since his arrest and charge in connection with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The Tumas Group businessman was invited to Muscat’s exclusive birthday party at Girgenti in 2019, where he gifted the former Prime Minister three bottles of expensive Petrus wine. One of the bottles was a 1974 vintage (Muscat’s birth year), and two of them were 2007 vintages (the year Muscat’s twin daughters were born).

On another occasion in 2014, Fenech handed Muscat a luxury limited-edition Bvlgari watch commemorating Malta’s ascent into the EU. All of the gifts have since shown up on an official registry, which was published almost a month after the allegations first emerged.

A second watch allegedly given to Muscat by Fenech was not listed.

Meanwhile, Fenech also has a very close relationship with Schembri and has even described it as “fraternal” in court. Schembri has even confirmed under oath that the pair were friends and had also holidayed together on occasion.

Middleman Melvin Theuma has even said that Fenech and Schembri were close, with the former saying in a recorded conversation that he would call Schembri practically every day.

Fenech has claimed that he was fed information on the investigation directly from Schembri and others, including former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta, another close associate of Fenech.

The extent of Muscat and Schembri’s knowledge of the murder is as yet unclear. However, the latter remains under investigation for his potential involvement in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, along with a litany of other offences which include:

Tampering with evidence, leaking extensive information about the investigation, obstructing justice, and acquiring a phantom job for middleman Melvin Theuma

Despite their potential links to the case, Muscat and Schembri have continued on with their lives, most recently travelling to London just a day apart from one another.

What do you make of this revelation?