Cabinet members are furious with the decision to release the former Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri without charge in connection with the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, sources said.

However, it also appears that Cabinet stands by their decision to reject Yorgen Fenech’s pardon, with sources explaining that they were simply unwilling to grant Fenech a pardon given the magnitude of the murder and the evidence provided so far, as well as the fact that the Caruana Galizia family does not want his pardon.

The urgent Cabinet meeting called by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Thursday evening and lasted until the early hours of the morning was reportedly tense.

During the almost seven-hour long meeting, sources said that the absolute majority of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries were reportedly dumbstruck by the decision to release Schembri given the serious claims levelled against him.

The many unanswered questions that hang over Schembri’s head, including corruption claims, were also a major issue.

Beyond Fenech seemingly claiming that Schembri was involved with the assassination, their shared-doctor Adrian Vella is believed to have admitted to acting as a secret messenger while the former was under police bail.

Schembri is also believed to feature on the recordings of Melvin Theuma, the suspected middleman in the case. Theuma was expected to appear in open court today. However, this has been postponed to next Wednesday.

Sources have said Theuma’s testimony to the inquiring magistrate for assassination is yet to take place.

The investigation is still on-going while neither Schembri or Fenech have been charged with any crime.

It remains to be seen how the case will develop, but Muscat has confirmed that Schembri will not be reinstated to his post any time soon.

The case has so far seen Ministers Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona. However, the political crisis is only going with Mizzi, Cardona, and Finance Minister Edward Scicluna now also subject to a criminal inquiry over the Vitals Global Healthcare deal.