Journalist murdered in Malta: a businessman arrested

On Wednesday-20 November at dawn, the prominent Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech was arrested by Malta police as part of the investigation into the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Yorgen Fenech allegedly 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 stopped at dawn at sea aboard his yacht as he tried to leave the Mediterranean island.

"He was aboard his boat at the time of the arrest," a police source told AFP, adding that Yorgen Fenech is considered a person who may have information on the facts.

Three people waiting for judgment

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.

Yorgen Fenech, who is also the boss of the Tumas Group, active in the hospitality and automotive industries, was intercepted around 5 pm-30 (4-h-30-GMT). Her white yacht was escorted to the port of Portomaso, where her family owns the Hilton, and placed under heavy surveillance by the Maltese police and army.

Joseph Muscat told reporters on Tuesday that police and Interpol, who are collaborating in the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 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.

Journalist killed for fighting corruption

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 Joseph Muscat.

>> See also: "Forbidden Stories: 'So that the work of Daphne Caruana Galizia is not lost'"

Most of the investigative work of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, a married woman and mother of three sons, focused on the part of the immense "Panama Papers" investigation into suspicions of corruption at the highest level in Malta .

In particular, emails revealed by the investigation showed that some Panamanian companies owned by the then Minister of Energy (and currently Minister of Tourism) Konrad Mizzi and 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 station is suspected of kicking-back payments to the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff and Energy Minister has just been arrested in my mother's murder. It's time for Mizzi and Schembri to resign and be placed under surveillance. https://t.co/dmIVsk8fBZ

"A power plant boss suspected of backsliding to Prime Minister (Joseph Muscat) 's Chief of Staff and the Minister of Energy has been arrested in connection with my mother' s assassination. 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 Keith Schembri: "It's confirmed: Yorgen Fenech was on the boat and tried to flee Malta. wines to Muscat's chief of staff, he is still his chief of staff. "

With AFP