Keith Schembri to face criminal charges after probe into Caruana Galizia murder leaks
Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri is set to face charges connected to a five-year investigation into leaks from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation, lawyer Jason Azzopardi said.In a post on Facebook, the former Nationalist MP said
Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri is set to face charges connected to a five-year investigation into leaks from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation, lawyer Jason Azzopardi said.
In a post on Facebook, the former Nationalist MP said criminal charges have been issued against Schembri and others in connection to the leaks. The first hearing will take place next Wednesday.
According to the Times of Malta, Schembri will be charged with perjury and breaching the Official Secrets Act.
The investigation was started after Yorgen Fenech, who is charged with masterminding Caruana Galizia's murder, claimed that he received information on the investigation through Schembri.
In December 2019, pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma told a court that Fenech had named Keith Schembri as the person informing him.
Earlier this year, Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff issued a court judgement saying that Schembri would attend briefings at Castille on the murder, even when Theuma's pardon request was being discussed, without disclosing his friendship with Yorgen Fenech. This continued after Fenech became a suspect and his mobile phone was tapped by the Security Services.
Mintoff had ruled that Keith Schembri's behaviour during the police investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia was an abuse of his position.
In a 155-page court judgment, Mr Justice Lawrence Mintoff ruled that Schembri had not spoken about his "fraternal friendship" with Fenech when he was taking part in confidential briefings about the murder investigation, adding that the non-declaration of such serious conflicts of interest should be made a crime.
If there was anyone who had a conflict of interest in this situation it was Schembri, who as "factotum and alter ego" of his master Joseph Muscat, continued to attend the 'briefings' even when the request for pardon to Theuma was being discussed, the judge said in his ruling.
The court had said it had "great doubts" as to whether Schembri allowed his personal interests to prevail over the public interest.
Conflicts of interest, especially of people in top positions like Keith Schembri, should also be addressed, the judge noted, suggesting that such situations should be classified as a "serious criminal offence subject to harsh punishment."
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