Yorgen Fenech believed that his personal relationship with MP Rosianne Cutajar played a major part in her vociferous intervention during a parliamentary debate on 17 Black, Fenech’s Dubai-based company linked to government corruption. 

Well-informed sources detailed text message conversations between Fenech and a well-known businesswoman in which the former even raised concerns that Cutajar’s “overly emotional” speech could have raised suspicions over their close relationship.

Fenech even claimed that he tried to persuade Cutajar to not take part in the sitting and even reached to his other close acquaintance Edward Zammit Lewis to try and calm Cutajar down during her address. 

It appears that Fenech’s concerns were correct, with a family relative even reaching out to the Tumas Group businessman asking if Cutajar had feelings for him him, given her passionate address. 

The debate happened on 12th November 2018, soon after Fenech was revealed to be the owner of the Dubai-based company. Fenech was arrested over the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia a year later.

During the emergency sitting, Cutajar was one of several MPs who rebutted corruption claims launched by the opposition.

Cutajar, who at the time was also employed by OPM, called then-PN MP Simon Busuttil an “embittered loser” and insisted that it was only the Opposition who was concerned about Malta’s reputation.

In the conversations, Fenech also claims that were certain vulgar insults thrown by Cutajar that were not picked up by parliament’s microphones. 

Parliament was not the only forum where Cutajar indirectly or directly vociferously defended Fenech’s interests.

Just one month after she allegedly helped broker a now-infamous deal for Fenech involving a Mdina residence, Cutajar was within the halls of the Council of Europe fighting tooth and nail against a report demanding a public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Notably, the report noted that Yorgen Fenech, as the Electrogas director, owned 17 Black, which was found to have received large sums of money from an Azeri national.

At the time, the government insisted that demands for a public inquiry were too far-ranging in scope. 

Malta’s government, and its representatives in the PACE, found support from Azerbaijan, the country with a stake in Fenech’s Electrogas project.

Cutajar has been removed from Cabinet following an investigation into claims that she pocketed tens of thousands in brokerage fees from the aforementioned property deal, along with close associate Charles it-Tikka Farrugia.

Cutajar has denied all wrongdoing. However, she has confirmed that Fenech did hand her over €31,000 in cash at the now infamous Porticello restaurant. She insists that she was tasked with handing over the money to Farrugia. 

She has also admitted that Fenech’s did pass on a €9,000 birthday gift for her over and above the payment. 

Cutajar remains a Labour Party MP and has expressed her intent to run in the next general election.