A Maltese minister has raised serious doubts over the official log of Yorgen Fenech’s visits to Castille, after describing him as a regular visitor of Keith Schembri at the Office of the Prime Minister.

“Yorgen Fenech was always at Castille in and out of Schembri’s office, and it was well known that he was close to him,” a minister speaking under the condition of anonymity told Malta Today.

However, official records seen by Lovin Malta claim that Fenech only visited Castille 26 times since the Labour Party entered into government in 2013. It seems Fenech may have been able to bypass the formal process.

Sources who spoke to Lovin Malta have also dismissed the official record, saying he was a regular visitor to the Office of the Prime Minister.

The minister’s claims also raise further questions about Chief Homicide Inspector Keith Arnaud’s role in the investigation into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and the potential involvement of the former Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.

Arnaud has said he was unaware of Schembri and Fenech’s friendship, which has even been described as fraternal.

The inspector has confirmed under oath that he regularly briefed former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Schembri about the case during official meetings. These details included the suspected involvement of Fenech and Melvin Theuma, along with the arrests of people allegedly involved.

Fenech has claimed that Keith Schembri was able to keep him continuously updated about the progress of the investigation through information directly from Arnaud.

These included details like Fenech’s phone being tapped, the particulars of Melvin Theuma’s pardon, and the imminent arrests of the three men who have been charged with carrying out the murder.

Schembri’s lost phone and a delay in searching his Castille office have raised further doubts. The former Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff is still under investigation for murder and his potential involvement in the assassination of Caruana Galizia, and a litany of other offences which include:

Allegedly leaking extensive information about the investigation, obstructing justice, and acquiring a phantom job for middleman Melvin Theuma.

Fenech’s constitutional case to get Arnaud removed from the investigation continues on 30th January.