Yorgen Fenech Granted Bail In Money Laundering Case But Will Not Be Released From Prison
Yorgen Fenech, the accused mastermind in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, has been granted bail in a money laundering case.
Deciding on bail, the magistrate presiding over the court noted that Fenech had a clean criminal record. The amount of money that it is being claimed was laundered was also relatively small and only related to a specific time period, the court observed.
Despite being granted bail in this case, Fenech will remain in prison due to criminal proceedings linked to the assassination.
In hearing submissions on bail, the magistrate urged the prosecution to elaborate and substantiate its fear that Fenech would escape the country if granted bail.
Fenech was granted bail against a deposit of €30,000, a personal guarantee of €70,000 and a requirement to sign the bail book and abide by a curfew. His conditions also prohibit him from coming within 100 metres of any airfield or seacraft.
Fenech, along with former Tumas Group COO Patrick Demanuele, Anthony Farrugia, Nicholas Cachia and Joseph Cachia were charged with money laundering in September. They deny the charges.
Throughout proceedings, the court heard the prosecution describe WhatsApp exchanges between Fenech and the other accused, including one in which the businessman asks one of his associates how much money they had laundered.
The court had noted that while the prosecution had not yet identified a predicate offence, it appeared that Fenech had a case to answer.
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