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Keith Schembri Withdraws Kickbacks Libel Suit Concerning 17 Black To Avoid Testifying On The Issue

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The Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri chose to withdraw a libel suit on serious allegations concerning 17 Black and kickbacks rather than testify on the issue.

Schembri had initiated the libel case against former PN Leader Simon Busuttil who alleged that he had received kickbacks in 2016.

He was set to testify today, however, after a  series of requests to stop his cross-examination were turned down by Magistrate Victor Axiaq, Schembri took to the stand and refused to answer any questions, issuing simple replies like:

“I have advice from lawyers not to answer any questions linked to ongoing inquiries”.

He was then ordered by the magistrate to answer all questions or face sanctions from the court.

After a brief moment, Schembri’s lawyer, Edward Gatt, said that his client’s rights were being prejudiced by being forced to comment on issues that affect ongoing inquiries and that he was withdrawing the suit.

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s last blog post actually dealt with the case when Busuttil testified in the case.

“There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate,” she wrote on the day.

Withdrawing the suit not only means that Schembri wasted three years of the court’s time but he also gives some sense of legal credence to Busuttil’s allegations, which will surely bring with it new calls for resignation for the Prime Minister’s right-hand man.

What is 17 Black?

With the help of leaked documents given to Daphne Caruana Galizia before her death, The Daphne Project uncovered that 17 Black was one of two companies which were supposed to transfer money to Schembri’s and Konrad Mizzi’s Panamanian companies.

Leaked documents from the FIAU also showed how 17 Black received over €1 million in payments from Mario Pullicino, the Maltese agent of the LNG tanker in Delimara, and an Azeri national.

After years of suspense, the owner of 17 Black was revealed to be none other than Yorgen Fenech, an investor in Electrogas, the consortium running the Delimara power station.

READ NEXT: Keith Schembri Does Everything He Can To Stop Testifying In 17 Black Case He Started Himself

 

Julian is the former editor of Lovin Malta and has a particular interest in politics, the environment, social issues, and human interest stories.

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