Journalist murdered in Malta: key figure tries to kill himself

He was suspected of having acted as an intermediary in this affair. Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver at the heart of the 2017 Malta murder investigation of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, attempted suicide on Tuesday night.

"The indications suggest that Mr Theuma's injuries were inflicted on him by himself," said the Maltese police chief. We did not find any wounds indicating that he defended himself and even the bloodstain is concentrated, showing no signs of struggle ”.

Operated during the night, the driver would be in critical condition. Melvin Theuma was arrested by Maltese police in November 2019 for a money laundering case. It was then that the man had assured to be involved in the murder of Daphne Caruana as an intermediary.

"True sponsor"

Having obtained a pardon from the Maltese president on condition of collaborating in the investigation, Melvin Theuma denounces a rich Maltese businessman, Yorgen Fenech, also arrested last November.

He claims to the police to have played the role of intermediary between this Yorgen Fenech and three men considered to have executed the murder of Daphne Caruana, who died in the explosion of his car bomb on October 16, 2017.

The arrest of Yorgen Fenech led to the resignation of Minister of Tourism (and previously Energy) Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri, then chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Questioned by the police, the latter was released without prosecution. Yorgen Fenech, however, referred to him as the “real sponsor” of the murder.

Political earthquake

By digging into the Maltese part of the famous Panama Papers, the journalist revealed that a Dubai company, 17 Black, had paid 2 million euros to the two political figures for unspecified services. The Daphne Project journalist consortium, which has resumed its investigations, revealed that 17 Black was owned by Fenech.

This affair caused a political earthquake in the small island and the departure in January of the head of government, accused of having interfered and protected his collaborators in the investigation into the murder of the journalist.

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Melvin Theuma, who lives in a neighborhood north of the capital Valletta, was under police protection when he attempted to kill himself. It was his lawyer who, failing to reach his client, alerted the police.