How Melvin Theuma’s Letter Brought Keith Schembri Into Daphne’s Murder Investigation

A handwritten letter penned by middleman Melvin Theuma played a pivotal role in bringing former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri onto investigators’ radar in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation.

The letter was referenced in court as lead investigator Keith Arnaud continued his testimony in Yorgen Fenech’s trial.

In the note, which investigators discovered during searches linked to Yorgen Fenech in November 2019, Theuma claimed he feared for his life and alleged that both Fenech and Schembri were trying to silence him.

“I am relaying this proof so that you will know who hired me and paid for the bomb,” Theuma wrote in the letter.

“I am doing this because I realised that these two people, Yorgen Fenech and Keith Schembri, were working to get rid of me as well.”

Despite the allegations, Arnaud said Schembri was not initially considered a suspect in the murder investigation and had even attended sensitive briefings at Castille while the probe was ongoing.

The court also heard that investigators later recovered an “ice cream tub” kept by Theuma containing recordings, mobile phones, photographs and documents linked to the case, including a photograph showing Theuma alongside Schembri at Castille.

However, Arnaud testified that when questioned, Theuma said he had no first-hand knowledge of Schembri’s involvement in the murder plot, explaining that he believed Schembri “was involved” because of his close relationship with Fenech and feared the pair wanted him out of the way.

Schembri was later arrested and interrogated in connection with the investigation but was released without being charged over the murder. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

He is, however, facing separate criminal proceedings over alleged leaks of confidential information from the murder investigation and breaches of the Official Secrets Act, allegations which he also denies.

Yorgen Fenech is standing trial charged with complicity in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and criminal association to commit the murder. He has pleaded not guilty.