Yorgen Fenech said former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri had tried to rope in former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Education Minister Owen Bonnici, and then-Economy Minister Chris Cardona to help address his [Fenech’s] concerns about one of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killers getting a presidential pardon.

In middleman Melvin Theuma’s secret recordings, which were played in court today, Fenech can be heard saying:

“Owen [Bonnici] said he wouldn’t help. Ix-Xiħ [Joseph Muscat] said he would help if there is a 100% chance he won’t get caught, he would do it.”

“He’s still calling me, he’s worried and he keeps on calling me. How am I going to get out of this? [Chris] Cardona told him no.”

The ‘he’, Theuma said during today’s sitting of the police’s case against Fenech, was Keith Schembri. Theuma also explained that the information on Muscat, Bonnici, and Cardona also came directly from Schembri.

In the recordings, it is clear that both Fenech and Theuma had grown apprehensive ever since former Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta allegedly informed them that Vince Muscat was willing to talk to investigators in exchange for the pardon.

According to their information, Muscat was willing to give up the details on the people who supplied the bomb, allegedly the Agius brothers of Tal-Maksar, and seven other murders.

Fenech and Theuma were worried, as were ‘others’ who allegedly knew about the case, that they would get found out. However, Theuma has repeatedly told the courts that Muscat never knew his identity.

“This is why I started recording. I was the loose end and I knew Fenech and Schembri would either kill me or send me to prison,” he explained.

Muscat’s pardon request never came through and was rejected by the cabinet.