Valletta (AFP)

Yorgen Fenech, a Maltese businessman, was arrested on Wednesday in the investigation into the assassination in 2017 of investigative journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.

"We arrested a man as part of our investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia," a high-ranking police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The businessman was identified as Yorgen Fenech, who paid money to a minister and the chief of staff of the Maltese Prime Minister via a company on which the murdered journalist had written.

He was arrested at dawn at sea aboard his yacht as he tried to leave the Mediterranean island, the day after a turnaround in the investigation into the murder of the journalist likely to allow the identification of sponsors, according to the same source.

"He was aboard his boat at the time of the arrest," said the police source, noting that Mr. Fenech is considered a person who may have information on the facts.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, leader of the Maltese Labor Party, announced the granting of immunity to a man suspected of having been an intermediary in the assassination, in exchange for his testimony in court. This man, whose identity was not revealed, claims to know who is behind the murder of the journalist.

Yorgen Fenech is the director and one of the owners of Electrogas, which won in 2013 a multi-million euro contract with the Maltese State for the construction of a gas-fired power plant.

The Maltese Financial Intelligence Agency has also identified him as the owner of a Dubai-based company, 17 Black. Eight months before her death, Daphne Caruana Galizia had written about this company in her blog, claiming she was connected to Maltese politicians.

Mr. Fenech, who is also the boss of the Tumas group, active in the hotel and car industry, was intercepted around 05:30 (0430 GMT). Her elegant white yacht was escorted to Portomaso harbor, where her family owns the Hilton hotel, and placed under heavy surveillance by the Maltese police and army.

- "Bribes" -

Muscat told reporters on Tuesday that police and Interpol, who are collaborating in the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana, arrested several people last week, including the alleged intermediary, in an operation. against the laundering of dirty money.

Three men are awaiting trial for the murder: the brothers Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio, as well as Vincent "Vince" Muscat (no direct link with the Prime Minister), arrested on 4 December 2017.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in the explosion of her car bomb on October 16, 2017. Often described as "WikiLeaksalist all by herself", she revealed some of the darkest parts of Maltese politics, attacking virulence to Mr. Muscat.

In particular, emails revealed by the investigation showed that some Panamanian companies belonging to the then Minister of Energy (and currently Minister of Tourism) Konrad Mizzi and to Prime Minister Keith Schembri's chief of staff had received funds from 17 Black, Yorgen Fenech's company. These payments, which amounted to several thousand euros a day, were made in exchange for unspecified services.

"A power plant boss suspected of back-processing to the chief of staff of the Prime Minister (Joseph Muscat) and the Minister of Energy has been arrested in connection with the murder of my mother.This is the moment for Mizzi and Schembri to resign and be placed under surveillance, "said in a tweet Andrew, one of the journalist's sons.

Another son, Matthew, singled out Chief of Staff Schembri: "It's confirmed: Yorgen Fenech was on the boat and tried to flee Malta, his role was to pay bribes to Muscat's chief of staff, he is still his chief of staff ".

str-ide-glr-fka / mba

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