Caruana Galizia public inquiry: Brian Tonna, Karl Cini choose silence since they are subject to ongoing investigations

Brian Tonna and Karl Cini from Nexia BT chose not to reply to any of the questions put to them when they appeared in front of the Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry board today.

Before proceedings started, Tonna's lawyer explained to the board that his client was a suspect in three different investigations and would invoke his right to silence. The lawyer noted that his client was the subject of an attachment order, had been indicated as a suspect in a pending magisterial inquiry into 17 Black and was also subject to another investigation for which he was on police bail.

Judge emeritus Michael Mallia said the board would ask him the questions anyway but he was free not to answer them.

Both Tonna and Cini replied in the same way to each and every question: "I choose not to answer."

They were asked about their relationship with Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat. They were also asked about the Panama companies set up for Schembri and Mizzi, and Egrant. Questions were asked about their involvement in the Electrogas power station tender. They were also asked about the ultimate beneficial owners of a long list of companies and 17 Black.

Karl Cini

Tonna was also asked about the purported loan of €100,000 he had received from Schembri, which was the subject of a magisterial inquiry on the basis of claims that the money was graft involving the IIP scheme.

However, each time, both men chose not to answer.

Earlier, the inquiry board dismissed an application that had been filed by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech to be given access to all testimony, even that behind closed doors.

The public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is tasked with, amongst other things, determining whether the State did all it could to prevent the murder from happening.

Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb just outside her Bidnija home on 16 October 2017.

Three men, George Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, have been charged with carrying out the assassination, while Yorgen Fenech is charged with masterminding the murder.

Melvin Theuma, who acted as a middleman between Fenech and the three killers, was granted a presidential pardon last year to tell all.

The inquiry is led by retired judge Michael Mallia and includes former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino and Judge Abigail Lofaro.