A missing mobile phone? This is officially the ‘dog ate my homework’ entry in the whole saga

What are we skinning? Keith Schembri’s missing mobile phone.

Why are we skinning it? Because it is officially the ‘dog ate my homework’ entry in the ongoing saga of the investigation into the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.

What does it refer to, exactly? While testifying in court on Thursday, Chief Inspector Keith Arnaud revealed that the Prime Minister’s only-recently former chief-of-staff Keith Schembri claimed to have “lost” his mobile phone on the day of his arrest. While they confiscated all of the remaining electronic devices they found at Schembri’s residence, his personal mobile phone – inevitably a crucial piece of evidence that could potentially confirm or disconfirm Schembri’s involvement in the case – remains ‘at large’.

Wait... is this the same Keith Schembri who previously said he was often left no option but to charge his phone four times a day because of the messages and calls he receives, and who said under oath that sometimes, a day would go by where he’d realised he hadn’t spoken to his wife and kids because he was glued to the phone? Yes. Now you realise why this is a subject worthy of skinning?

Well yes, okay, sure. But really and truly, where does this leave us? What is there to say? If anything, this just stands as another paltry excuse by a high-ranking official when cornered, a depressing reminder of how those supposedly charged with leading us so often let us down... Yes, but that’s precisely it. Beyond all the anguish, stress, instability and nastiness that this whole political crisis has wrought, the smallest of silver linings has emerged.

What silver lining? Nothing is definitive. The evidence is still emerging, and some of it may not even be all that final or conclusive. You’re right, and the silver lining is a thin sliver, a small consolation. But just think of how untouchable Schembri seemed just a few weeks ago.

How the mighty have fallen... Yes, and when the mighty fall, they are brought down to ‘our level’. And it is only at this level that we can hope for any form of justice to take place. For impunity to be stripped away. Sad but true.

Do say: “While allowing for the possibility that the case of lost phone may have some kernel of truth to it, I hope that such a flimsy excuse contributes to a national turnaround in the way we look at and consider the integrity of such powerful figures, and perform the necessary mental detox needed to consider them, their actions and their legacy, in the most honest and unvarnished way possible.”

Don’t say: “I lose stuff all the time so all of this is making me feel better about my scatterbrained and disorganised self. More news of high-profile suspects losing stuff please!”