Maltese politicians ‘involved’ in plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia, court hears

George and Alfred Degiorgio testified that Cardona and Schembri, along with the lawyer David Gatt, were involved in planning the assassination. Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters View image in fullscreen George and Alfred Degiorgio testified that Cardona and Schembri, along with the lawyer David Gatt, were involved in planning the assassination. Photograph: Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters Maltese politicians ‘involved’ in plot to kill Daphne Caruana Galizia, court hears Former economy minister Chris Cardona and ex-chief of staff Keith Schembri named as being involved in 2017 murder of journalist Two political figures who previously held powerful government roles in Malta were accused of plotting to kill the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia during court testimony on Wednesday. The allegations, against a former economy minister and a former chief of staff to the prime minister, were made during a chaotic day at the courts of justice in Valletta, where the businessman Yorgen Fenech is on trial for ordering the assassination of Caruana Galizia in 2017. The jury heard from brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, underworld figures who confessed to planting the car bomb that killed the journalist and are serving 40-year sentences. The two men named the former economy minister Chris Cardona and Keith Schembri, who as the then chief of staff to the prime minister was Malta’s most powerful unelected government official, as “involved” in the murder. They also named an associate of Cardona, the lawyer David Gatt. First to give evidence was Alfred Degiorgio, who was brought from prison to testify. He told the court: “Before I testify, I want to say that Chris Cardona, David Gatt and Keith Schembri are involved in the murder”. Degiorgio did not elaborate further. He claimed he could not testify as he was contesting his sentence in the European court of human rights. Over the course of the morning, he was questioned by lawyers for the defence and for the prosecution. Each time, he responded saying: “I will not answer”. The judge, Edwina Grima, ordered Alfred Degiorgio’s arrest for contempt of court and arraigned him to return for a hearing on the matter within 48 hours. George Degiorgio testified in the afternoon, and the jury heard a series of detailed allegations. He claimed: “The murder started in 2015,” and later added “In 2015, it was Chris Cardona who gave me the orders.” Recalling the alleged earlier plot, he said: “I was at home. David Gatt called me and said he wanted to have a word. I went to the potato shed and we met there. He told me ‘Come with me, Cardona wants to speak to you’ … Cardona was at a bar, seated at a Red Bull table. We had a drink and he told me ‘I want you guys to kill Daphne’. I asked him who Daphne was, and he told me David [Gatt] would explain. “I told him it would cost €150,000 …” “I asked him [Cardona] who was involved and he said ‘me, Keith, the commissioner and someone else’. He said he didn’t know the other person.” George cla