Middleman Melvin Theuma is repeating “misguided” and “malignant” information fed to him by people who are attempting to deviate the investigation into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Chris Cardona has said.

“Melvin Theuma is giving testimony in court on what he heard or rather on what was said to him,” Cardona said in an interview with Lovin Malta.

“From what I’ve read online, Melvin Theuma is showing how intricate, evil, and malignant the plot to frame me was.”

However, despite Theuma’s sensational statements in court, Cardona believes the state witness isn’t part of a plot to frame the former minister himself, but instead is repeating what was told to him.

“I don’t have any reason to doubt his credibility for several reasons, primarily because his evidence is based on his pardon.”

“Theuma is honest in how he has lived this evil story, but he’s being misguided by some pseudo friends of his,” Cardona said.

Under recent questioning from lawyer Jason Azzopardi over an alleged €350,000 fee for the murder revealed in secret recordings, middleman and State witness Melvin Theuma told the court that he was told Cardona had a financial relationship to suspected triggerman Alfred Degiorgio via a middleman “whose name began with ‘B'”.

Theuma – who was given a Presidential pardon by then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat – said he knows this from conversations he had with main suspect Yorgen Fenech and their mutual friend Johann Cremona. He said under oath that either Fenech or Cremona had once shown him a photo of this middleman, as have the police during questioning.

More sensationally, Theuma said that Fenech claimed Cardona was so worried about the murder that he ended up hospitalised after an overdose on pills.

This was not the first time Cardona’s name came up during the case. He was suddenly thrown in the spotlight again when it emerged that a letter detailing his involvement in the killing was revealed as having been sent to Fenech by then OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri via their mutual doctor. This was later claimed to be a frame-up attempt.

In court, claims of a relationship with Alfred Degiorgio that included burner phones, family jobs, and marijuana procurement have emerged.

Cardona has vehemently denied the allegations made against him, saying the information was fed to Theuma as part of an “evil and malignant” plot to frame him for Caruana Galizia’s murder. He warned that his resignation as Deputy Party Leader would only make allegations more believable.

Cardona met with Prime Minister Robert Abela today to discuss the allegations and his future.

What do you think of Melvin Theuma’s claims? Comment below