Nexia BT partners Brian Tonna and Karl Cini refused to answer any questions posed to them by the inquiry looking into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, availing themselves of the right to remain silent.

Tonna and Cini were asked about their role in setting up Panama companies for former minister Konrad Mizzi and former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, the mysterious company Egrant, their relationship with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and their role as auditors of ElectroGas shareholders GEM Holdings.

However, they opted against answering.

Tonna, Cini and fellow Nexia BT partner Manuel Castagna were arrested last month following the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry into an alleged kickback by Tonna to Schembri.

The inquiry was based off a leaked report by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit which flagged two suspicious €50,000 payments from Tonna to Schembri via Pilatus Bank.

Tonna and Schembri have insisted this was a repayment of a personal loan given to Tonna during his separation proceedings, but the FIAU suspected this was a kickback to Schembri on the sale of Maltese citizenship to a family of three Russian nationals.

Tonna and Cini had their accounting warrants suspended and their assets frozen but police have yet to press charges against them and the inquiry remains unpublished.