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Melvin Theuma Deemed Fit To Testify In Daphne Caruana Galizia Cases

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Melvin Theuma, the middleman-turned-state-witness in the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination, has been deemed fit to testify in the many cases linked to the murder. 

Three court-appointed psychiatrists confirmed their assessment in two separate hearings linked to the case.

Magistrate Rachel Montebello has placed a court order banning the publication of the psychiatrists’ full analysis, which was shared to the court.

Theuma has been out of action ever since his suspected suicide attempt last July. He was given a conditional pardon last year to reveal all he knows about the murder and other major crimes, a decision taken solely by former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

Theuma attempted suicide the day before he was due to be cross-examined by main suspect Yorge Fenech’s defence team in relation to as yet-unplayed recordings he had taken. The content of these recordings is unknown, but they’re believed to relate to allegations that Theuma could have bribed former police commissioner Laurence Cutajar to secure his pardon.

Fenech’s lawyers said last October that Theuma negotiated his pardon for €17,000, using as a go-between Edwin ‘Il-Ġojja’ Brincat, a mutual friend of Theuma and Cutajar.

They claim that tapes show that Brincat told Theuma to refer to Fenech as “the mastermind” and by his first name to the police.

Meanwhile, Lovin Malta has recently revealed that police and Fenech’s lawyers are scrambling to get their hands on new recordings where Theuma details the potential involvement of Schembri in the murder.

Well-informed sources have told Lovin Malta that the recorded conversations are between Julian Hofstra and Melvin Theuma, which took place sometime towards the end of 2018 and the start of 2019.

The recordings allegedly detail how Schembri was handing over money to Fenech and Theuma. However, it is not clear whether this was for bribes as part of a cover-up or the murder itself.

Hofstra, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Amsterdam, first arrived in Malta in 2016. He was on the run from Dutch authorities for his involvement in an affiliate-marketing scam. 

Hofstra, who was a teenager at the time, struck up a friendship with Theuma and the other taxi drivers of the area. The young criminal on the run appealed to the easily impressed Theuma.

The Dutch man’s tech-savvy expertise and lifestyle led to Theuma and him becoming fast friends. Theuma would later confide him with major details of the plot.

It remains to be seen when Theuma will be called to the stand.

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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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