'In her eyes I was dirt, ignorant, a drug addict,' Chris Cardona says of Daphne Caruana Galizia

The public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia continues with the testimony of former economy minister Chris Cardona

13 November 2020, 9:32am
by Matthew Agius

4 min read

Former economy minister Chris Cardona

Chris Cardona has reiterated his belief that a letter implicating him as the mastermind of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder was a frame up.

Testifying in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Friday, the former economy minister said he knew nothing about the murder.

The letter had been found by police at Fenech’s house and had been passed onto the murder suspect by his doctor, Adrian Vella, while he was out on police bail.

The letter instructed Fenech to blame Caruana Galizia’s murder on Cardona, who had a tumultuous relationship with the journalist.

When news of the letter was leaked to the press in November 2019, Cardona was suspended from his ministerial portfolio but re-instated some two weeks later after police briefed Cabinet of the attempted frame up.

“I don’t know who wrote this letter but I have my suspicions as to who wrote it and sent it. Whoever wrote it didn't care about the consequences it caused,” Cardona said, adding the police had told him the letter had been tampered with and could not be sent for further investigation.

The former minister said many allegations had been made in his regard, trying to link him in some way or another with the murder.

“There were many allegations… That there were guns in my mouth, that I tried to kill myself, that I made phone calls with people involved in the murder... but not one of the allegations has been proven. The damage this caused me was a factor in my decision to leave politics. There are people who try to solve problems with the law of the jungle. When you have a disagreement with someone you take him to court not put him in the grave,” Cardona testified.

He denied being the lawyer of the Degiorgio brothers but had represented Vincent Muscat, il-Koħħu, once during bail proceedings in 2010.

He also denied ever going to the potato shed in Marsa, claiming he did not even know where it is.

Daphne relationship

On his relationship with Caruana Galizia, the former minister said he did not speak to her or meet her.

“I think that when you speak about someone who was murdered you need to qualify things. The murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia is a murder of a person. It is a macabre murder. In her eyes I was dirt, ignorant, a drug addict. That she puts up a picture of you with the Scarface background and your 16-year-old children go to school and are told that their father is a drug trafficker is not nice,” Cardona said.

When it was pointed out to him by the board that he had recently described her as a pillar of democracy, Cardona said that at first, she was but her writing had then degenerated.

“Daphne Caruana Galizia never wrote a story about my work. She never criticised or praised my work... she would only write about me on a personal level,” he said.

Muscat fainted

Cardona also lifted the lid on an incident two days before Caruana Galizia was murdered when then prime minister Joseph Muscat had fainted while attending a reception.

Government never announced the prime minister’s ailment in an official statement.

There have been rumours suggesting that Muscat fainted after he was informed of the murder plans but Cardona put paid to the speculation when asked about the incident by lawyer Jason Azzopardi.

“Yes, he [Muscat] fainted. It was a Saturday in the evening. There was an event by a company... hundreds of people were there. Joseph Muscat fainted and I carried him outside with his security officers. It emerged that he had not eaten anything that day,” Cardona said.

Asked whether he knew why this was kept hidden, Cardona said he does not know.

Back in June, Cardona resigned as deputy leader of the Labour party.

Previous sitting

In the previous sitting Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat testified that he saw nothing wrong with taking a €5,000 consultancy from Nexia BT despite the firm having set up the overseas structures for Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri.

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.

12:46 That's it for today. Thank you for following. Kurt Sansone

12:46 The next sitting is on Monday at 2pm. Kurt Sansone

12:44 Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat will be called to the public inquiry soon, the lawyers say. Kurt Sansone

12:44 His testimony over, Cardona steps off the stand. The board are fixing a date for the next sitting. Kurt Sansone

12:43 He is asked about any messages exchanged with Yorgen Fenech. Cardona checks his mobile and the last message he has with Fenech is dated 28 August 2019 and refers to dancing classes. Kurt Sansone

12:42 Cardona: “No... never. There were some differences of opinion but they were things you could tweak.” Kurt Sansone

12:41 Azzopardi asks about his relationship with Schembri. “Was it true that there were problems?” Kurt Sansone

12:41 Cardona: “I didn't know about it. I learned from the media. She was one of the students who applied for one of the packages on offer. She spent the summer working in a government entity. I confirm it is true.” Kurt Sansone

12:40 Azzopardi notes that Fulu’s daughter was employed in Cardona’s ministry. Kurt Sansone

12:40 Cardona says he had not gone abroad with Joseph Muscat after November 2019. Kurt Sansone

12:39 Azzopardi asks whether he had invited Fenech to meet over a meal in early 2019. “Yes. I don't exclude it,” he replies. Kurt Sansone

12:38 Cardona denies having a specific meeting with Fenech or Fenech’s mother and notes that he had also met Yorgen Fenech at Luxol, outside a dancing school where their children attend. Kurt Sansone

12:37 Cardona: “Yes. I confirm. I saw him there and it was a party. I was invited to and attended a 50th birthday party at Level 22 around the time of the murder.” Kurt Sansone

12:35 Azzopardi asks whether Cardona had ever chanced upon Yorgen Fenech at Portomaso. Kurt Sansone

12:35 The series of quick-fire questions continues. Cardona denies meeting Fulu's sister over a medical cannabis licence, or going to the potato shed in Marsa. “I don't even know where it is,” he says. Kurt Sansone

12:33 Asked whether he knew why this was kept hidden, Cardona says he does not know why. Kurt Sansone

12:33 Cardona: “Yes, he fainted. It was a Saturday in the evening. There was an event by a company... hundreds of people were there. Joseph Muscat fainted and I carried him outside with his security officers. It emerged that he had not eaten anything that day.” Kurt Sansone

12:31 Azzopardi says that two days before Caruana Galizia’s assassination, Chris Cardona and the prime minister were at Le Meridien, where Joseph Muscat had fainted and this was hushed up. “Do you know what had happened and why this was hidden from the public?” Kurt Sansone

12:30 Cardona says that in the summer of 2017, il-Fulu never went to his ministry, as he replies to another question. Kurt Sansone

12:29 Cardona: “They were wrong because I had attended the wedding not the bachelor’s party. I assume he was also at the wedding.” Kurt Sansone

12:28 Azzopardi says that one of the Daphne Project stories was that Cardona had attended a bachelors' party in 2017 where Alfred Degiorgio, known as il-Fulu was present. Kurt Sansone

12:27 Cardona: “No.” Kurt Sansone

12:27 Azzopardi: “At the Hilton?” Kurt Sansone

12:27 Cardona: “No.” Kurt Sansone

12:27 Azzopardi: “His home?” Kurt Sansone

12:26 Cardona: “No.” Kurt Sansone

12:26 Azzopardi: “Had you ever been at the Stables bar with Degiorgio?” Kurt Sansone

12:26 Cardona: “He had left the police after 25 year of service and was chosen as a security guard at the Freeport after a call. Kurt Sansone

12:25 Azzopardi: “Was Chetcuti given a job at the Freeport?” Kurt Sansone

12:24 Cardona says this surprised everyone because his political leanings were known. He had shifted his allegiance, he says. Kurt Sansone

12:23 Cardona says that il-Biglee, Toni Chetcuti, is an ex police officer. “He was in the SAG... subsequently he was a security officer for high profile VIPs like the Pope and Angela Merkel. Subsequently, he left the corps and helped me with my campaign.” Kurt Sansone

12:21 Azzopardi asks about Toni l-Biglee. Kurt Sansone

12:20 Cardona: “I know one of them by sight. Adrian.” Kurt Sansone

12:20 Azzopardi suggests that he had released the client around May 2010. The lawyer asks whether Cardona knows the Agius brothers from Żebbuġ, known as Tal-Maksar. Kurt Sansone

12:19 Cardona: “I appeared for him once for bail. I don't recall the year. It wasn't the arraignment.” Kurt Sansone

12:18 When for Vince Muscat? Kurt Sansone

12:18 Cardona: “The Degiorgio brothers? Never.” Kurt Sansone

12:18 Lawyer Jason Azzopardi starts to question the witness. In what year did he become the Degiorgio brothers’ lawyer? Kurt Sansone

12:17 Matthew Caruana Galizia, present in the courtroom bores holes in Cardona with an unflinching gaze. Kurt Sansone

12:16 Cardona says that he left of his own accord. “I took the decision long before it actually materialised.” Kurt Sansone

12:16 Cardona says that he had spoken to Robert Abela at the beginning of the prime minister’s tenure. Kurt Sansone

12:15 Cardona: “Because the police are still investigating the claims. What should I do? Every time a story is published go to court and say ‘I wasn't there’. I could set up a room near the chamber of advocates. I don't want to file any more libels… I left politics to avoid attracting trouble to Robert Abela's administration.” Kurt Sansone

12:14 Comodini Cachia asks: “How do you justify not asking the police to investigate all this and not even file libels?” Kurt Sansone

12:12 Cardona says he has a file full of reports and social media posts about him, dating back eight months. “After I resigned from politics, I apparently ceased to be this terror beause every day there was a report about me,” he says. Kurt Sansone

12:11 Cardona: “There were many stories of me meeting with certain people and seeing certain people. There was an attempt by certain journalists to implicate me in this case. The reports of my meeting with the Degiorgio brothers are full of lies.” Kurt Sansone

12:09 Comodini Cachia points out that TVM had reported him as saying on Dissett that he was the victim of a frame-up. Kurt Sansone

12:08 Cardona: “How? From my house?” Kurt Sansone

12:07 Lofaro: “Didn't you follow up on it?” Kurt Sansone

12:07 Cardona: “I don't want to burden the police investigation at this stage. This letter was found in a place taken by a doctor from someone else to be given to someone else. A document like that, but it has been tampered with.” Kurt Sansone

12:04 Cardona says that the prime minister had called him to a parliamentary group in Girgenti and announced that he would be reintegrating him into Cabinet. “This happened after the police had excluded me from the investigation,” he says. Kurt Sansone

12:02 Cardona: “If I knew, I would have taken the necessary steps. I don't want to obstruct the ongoing investigations. I will do at an opportune time. Gossip and hearsay are not evidence." Kurt Sansone

12:01 Comodini Cachia: “Did you have enemies in the administration?” Kurt Sansone

12:00 The board remarks that he had never taken steps to clear his name of these serious allegations. He replies that steps will be taken at the opportune moment. “There were rumours, spread publicly by persons in this courtroom,” he says. Kurt Sansone

11:59 He adds that there are people “in this courtroom” who tried to hint that he was involved in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Nobody ever showed him the letters, not even the police, Cardona says angrily. Kurt Sansone

11:57 Cardona says that after the Daphne libels he never filed another one again. “It is not worth it,” he says. Kurt Sansone

11:56 He is asked about the allegation that a burner phone recovered from the potato shed in Marsa where Caruana Galizia’s executioners were arrested contained his number. Had he filed any libel cases about it? Kurt Sansone

11:54 Cardona: “Once. It was a party for my cousin. A lunch. After lunch, we went for a drink and someone who I know told her where I was and she came up to me. She asked me where I lived. This was the time that I lived at Portomaso. The meeting took place in the Stables Bar in Valletta.” Kurt Sansone

11:53 Cardona is asked about the time he had spoken to Daphne Caruana Galizia. Kurt Sansone

11:52 Cardona: “Journalists aren't killed by people who go home after work to their families.” Kurt Sansone

11:52 Comodini Cachia asks if he confirms all that was reported in his interview with the Times, Lovin Malta and the Guardian - this last one was around two months ago. “There were journalists form a French agency and Juliette Garside from the Guardian,” he says, adding that he was always open to media questions. Kurt Sansone

11:50 Cardona says he had been summoned to speak to the police, a couple of weeks before the letter to Cabinet, and had told the Commissioner of Police that he would come immediately. “I spoke to Inspectors Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra. Today, I understand that it is about the letter,” he adds. Kurt Sansone

11:48 He says that he hadn't been spoken to by then magistrate Antonio Vella who took over the murder inquiry. Kurt Sansone

11:46 Cardona: “I was summoned together with a group of people, but there was also an application by the family for her recusal and we didn't meet.” Kurt Sansone

11:46 Comodini Cachia says that Cardona was summoned by then magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera on the day of the murder and asks for details. Kurt Sansone

11:44 Cardona: “When you inherit a country which is almost bankrupt... the sentiment was ‘work, work and work’ to achieve what is in our mind.” Kurt Sansone

11:43 Cardona: “I definitely didn't feel it was from people close to me... former prime minister Joseph Muscat also said he felt betrayed. This sentiment is one which is palpable. It is felt more by those who gave their time and sacrifice for the government.” Kurt Sansone

11:42 Comodini Cachia says he had mentioned a sense of betrayal. She asks him whether it was from people close to Joseph Muscat. Kurt Sansone

11:39 Cardona: “The blogs were divided between attacks on the structures of government and those on personal matters. The government stories would keep the government on its toes. Any government needs to give due attention to something like that and I think that Daphne would do this continuously and regularly. Whether she was right or wrong... and she used to dig and dig and dig and dig.” Kurt Sansone

11:38 Comodini Cachia says that he had told the Times of Malta that Daphne Caruana Galizia was a critic of government and had to be watched. How was this watching being carried out? Were there internal decisions on how to deal with her? Kurt Sansone

11:36 Cardona: “At the time Konrad Mizzi had said that he had made a mistake and was stripped of his portfolio and ministry. At that stage I was still thinking that the mistake was ugly but borne of mediocrity, of lack of forethought not malice… When the prime minister sent for me, he asked my opinion on Konrad Mizzi only, not Keith Schembri.” Kurt Sansone

11:35 Comodini Cachia asks about Konrad Mizzi's non-resignation after Panama. Kurt Sansone

11:34 Cardona says that ME were very careful in the wording of the MOU over the initial proposal for the running of public hospitals by investors. “The government left elbow room for the government to manoeuvre,” he adds. Kurt Sansone

11:30 He is asked about the due diligence on Vitals. Cardona says that a UK firm they had used in the past had carried out due diligence on those involved. The report came back negative. Kurt Sansone

11:27 Panama was “a great political mistake”, he says. “Even the person who opened the company said he made a political mistake. This is the clearest example of a political decision, a family decision but also a political one, that was wrong,” he says. Kurt Sansone

11:25 Comodini Cachia points out that she is speaking of political responsibility. She repeats the question. Kurt Sansone

11:25 Cardona says he is keeping abreast of developments but is not going to pronounce himself on criminal responsibility. Kurt Sansone

11:24 Cardona: “Whoever had made the mistakes must pay for them. This doesn’t emerge from any book, it is the law. Collective ministerial responsibility is another matter. Who erred unilaterally cannot expect to have others accept responsibility for it.” Kurt Sansone

11:23 Lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia begins to cross-examine the witness. She asks him who he thinks made the ‘big mistakes’ he had mentioned. Kurt Sansone

11:22 Cardona says that at one point he had lived in a Portomaso apartment. “I had marital problems at the time. These have since been resolved. This had been arranged by Silvan Fenech, a relative of Yorgen Fenech.” Kurt Sansone

11:19 Cardona says he had only met him on a business lunch once, in Valletta, and it had been about a disagreement between commercial partners. “I didn't know that Yorgen Fenech, Joseph Muscat and Keith Schembri were friends,” he says. Kurt Sansone

11:18 Questioning turns to his relationship with Yorgen Fenech. Kurt Sansone

11:17 Cardona: “I have feelings too. I still meet the ex-prime minister and I feel his grievances too.” Kurt Sansone

11:16 Cardona says with a raised voice: “There were many allegations… That there were guns in my mouth, that I tried to kill myself, that I made phone calls with people involved in the murder... but not one of the allegations has been proven. The damage this caused me was a factor in my decision to leave politics. There are people who try to solve problems with the law of the jungle. When you have a disagreement with someone you take him to court not put him in the grave.” Kurt Sansone

11:14 Cardona says the time had come for Joseph Muscat to put the national interest first. Kurt Sansone

11:13 Cardona: “I don’t know who wrote this letter but I have my suspicions as to who wrote it and sent it. Whoever wrote it didn't care about the consequences it caused on a minister and on himself had the letter not been circulated. The letter didn't influence the prime minister in his decision to step down.” Kurt Sansone

11:11 Said Pullicino reminds that the board is there to see if the government could have avoided the murder and not to apportion blame. Kurt Sansone

11:11 Cardona says he met with his lawyers and asked for an investigation into this person. He says that the police had been asked whether the letter had been sent for analysis and they said that they couldn't as it had been tampered with. Cardona insists that calligraphy cannot be tampered with. Kurt Sansone

11:09 Cardona: “I said this is very grave and I wanted him to suspend me until the issue was resolved. There was a letter in the police file, which was written handwritten by a person and sent to someone else, which implicated me as the person ordering the murder. It was found in Yorgen Fenech's apartment.” Kurt Sansone

11:07 Questioning moves on and Cardona speaks of the time when the prime minister informed him just before a Cabinet meeting that he was being mentioned in connection with the Caruana Galizia murder. Kurt Sansone

11:05 Cardona: “I insisted on this against my lawyer's advice. It’s about proportionality.” Kurt Sansone

11:04 He is asked about the libel cases and garnishee orders he had filed against Caruana Galizia. This had been the first time that a court was asked to issue a preventive garnishee order prior to a libel case being decided. Kurt Sansone

11:03 Cardona: “I was left speechless. It was shocking. I am not just a minister, I am a human, a father and brother too. The murder was addressed at Cabinet level before the prime minister released a statement.” Kurt Sansone

11:02 Cardona says that he then received a phone call confirming her death. Kurt Sansone

11:01 Cardona: “I was with the prime minister in Sliema. We had an event in front of the Ferries. We were in the car near M&S and there was breaking news of a bomb. Until we got to the office in Valletta we had only been told that there was a bomb. I think, had someone mentioned Bidnija, I would have done 1+1.” Kurt Sansone

10:59 He is asked how he had heard of the murder. Kurt Sansone

10:58 Cardona: “Daphne Caruana Galizia never wrote a story about my work. She never criticised or praised my work... she would only write about me on a personal level.” Kurt Sansone

10:57 Chief justice emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino says that the police, the secret service and so on would say that her blog was an open source, almost gospel. The substantial facts are correct, bar the gossip, which the judge says he didn't like. Kurt Sansone

10:56 Cardona: “At first she was but her writing had then degenerated. Her English was impeccable. This did not justify the stories she would write.” Kurt Sansone

10:56 Yet you recently described her as a pillar of democracy, the board notes. Kurt Sansone

10:55 Cardona: “I think that when you speak about someone who was murdered you need to qualify things. The murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia is a murder of a person. It is a macabre murder. In her eyes I was dirt, ignorant, a drug addict. That she puts up a picture of you with the Scarface background and your 16-year-old children go to school and are told that their father is a drug trafficker is not nice. The first time she had written about me was about my dog, saying that I didn't know how much attention a hound needed. Then she started publishing pictures of me out with my children. She was populist. To publish a blog, you have to be populist. She wouldn't be writing about (legal scholar) Antolisei.” Kurt Sansone

10:53 Judge emeritus Michael Mallia points out that she was a vociferous critic of his. Kurt Sansone

10:52 Cardona: “I was one of those which she would mention most. I didn't have a relationship with her. I didn’t speak to her, or meet her. If I missed a call from her it was because I didn't have her number.” Kurt Sansone

10:51 Questions turn to his relationship with Daphne Caruana Galizia. Kurt Sansone

10:51 He is asked whether he had any reservations. “If I did, I would have left,” Cardona says. Kurt Sansone

10:50 Cardona says he had taken part in the vote of confidence in Konrad Mizzi in 2016. “It was not a free vote. I don't think it was a free vote. I always voted in line with the party,” Cardona says. Kurt Sansone

10:49 Asked whether he had seen anything suspicious in Mizzi's dealings, Cardona replies: “I had a demanding portfolio and much of the time I was focused on what I was doing.” Kurt Sansone

10:48 Cardona says that all he knows about the controversial parts of the Electrogas deal are what he learned from the media. Kurt Sansone

10:47 Cardona says that Konrad Mizzi had given a presentation before the 2013 general election, comparing heavy fuel oil and gas as the source of energy generation. “I was a bit surprised that there wasn't the shadow minister for energy there. This goes back 10 years. Mizzi's area of expertise was project management… He hit the ground running [after the 2013 election]. I know there was a lot of pressure on him to deliver the project in six months,” he says. Kurt Sansone

10:45 Cardona: “I knew Konrad Mizzi since he was a boy. I used to teach English at a school and he was a 16-year-old student worker there. We were not friends then due to the age difference.” Kurt Sansone

10:45 Cardona says that polls had shown the Labour Party would win another election. There were protests which could jam the retail sector and hotels, he says and the prime minister had informed him of the decision to hold an early election. Cardona says that he had not heard about the possibility of leaks before the 2017 election. “I learned of them from the media.” Kurt Sansone

10:38 Cardona says he knew of the decision to call the early general election in 2017, “a couple of days before”. He adds: “I am qualifying the word days.” Kurt Sansone

10:37 Cardona: “I swear that I never did.” Kurt Sansone

10:36 The board: “Wouldn't you see him [Fenech] at Keith Schembri’s office?” Kurt Sansone

10:36 The former minister says he was unaware of the closeness with Yorgen Fenech, nor would he see him at Castille. Kurt Sansone

10:35 Said Pullicino asks if he was in the WhatsApp chat groups with Yorgen Fenech, Muscat and Schembri. “No, and I didn't know about it either,” Cardona replies. Kurt Sansone

10:34 Cardona: “Very close.” Kurt Sansone

10:34 Lofaro points out that tax evasion is one thing but money laundering is another. Mallia asks about the relationship between the prime minister and Keith Schembri. “Was it close?” Kurt Sansone

10:33 Cardona: “Yes. I didn't have reason not to. I couldn't understand the reason, but I believed them. Remember, this was not the first international leak. I would see it as absurd that a politician who had seen Swissleaks do the same thing eight years later.” Kurt Sansone

10:32 The board: “And did you believe this at the time?” Kurt Sansone

10:32 Cardona: “Yes. When the Panama Papers came out, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri had reacted to the news. They had issued press releases or held press conferences and their general defence was that it was a politically naive decision but they didn't have a criminal or malicious intent.” Kurt Sansone

10:31 Judge emeritus Michael Mallia asks Cardona for his reaction to Panama Papers and other revelations about Keith Schembri. “Would you still seek his advice?” Kurt Sansone

10:29 He disagrees with the board's suggestion that Keith Schembri had assumed powers of an elected politician. “The administration would be run by the permanent secretary. The chief of staff is above this. An interlocutor and intermediary between ministries, if there is a challenge or problem, like a company going to lay off people, the chief of staff would become involved.” Kurt Sansone

10:28 Cardona: “No, to the contrary. I would approach him for advice. He would intervene in a positive way.” Kurt Sansone

10:28 Judge Lofaro asks: “Would he interfere with your role?” Kurt Sansone

10:27 Cardona: “Not that I know of. I think he was appointed a board member of Smart City Malta. He would attend Cabinet regularly. I would discuss issues with him regularly.” Kurt Sansone

10:26 Did Keith Schembri have any role in the leadership other than as chief of staff? Kurt Sansone

10:22 Cardona: “I had an idea of him at University, but I learned his name in 2012, a year before the general election.” Kurt Sansone

10:22 Questions turn to Keith Schembri. How long had he known him? Kurt Sansone

10:22 Cardona: “Yes. The story remained an albatross around our neck... you'd open a good project and journalists would come and ask you about 17 Black. It was problematic. In other countries people resigned of their own free will too.” Kurt Sansone

10:20 After the 17 Black revelations, did his opinion change? Kurt Sansone

10:20 Cardona says that the Panama Papers were “very worrying”. “At the beginning, I agreed with the prime minister that Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri should stay in place. My opinion was to give them some time... subsequently the story continued to haunt the government.” Kurt Sansone

10:18 Cardona: “From the media, hux!” Kurt Sansone

10:17 Judge emeritus Michael Mallia says that there were things, some proven others still allegations, that matters were not done well. He mentions the owners of Electrogas and 17 Black: “How did you find out?” Kurt Sansone

10:16 Cardona: “In Cabinet, I don't recall one time where there was dissent on a national project. I'm not saying that there wouldn't be inter-ministerial dialogue... but yes, the Cabinet would work on an agenda, argue the issue and decide collectively. A decision would bind us all.” Kurt Sansone

10:15 Cardona says that if he were to start again from 2013, he would avoid doing certain things and do others instead. “You learn from your mistakes,” he says. Kurt Sansone

10:14 Cardona: “Joseph Muscat would enjoy unanimous backing at the time… It is easier for them to say this now that the leadership has changed. It is convenient to say something like that now.” Kurt Sansone

10:12 Asked about the so-called ‘kitchen cabinet’, he says he was surprised “because at the time no kitchen cabinets were mentioned, and now they are coming out”. The reference here is to Evarist Bartolo and Edward Scicluna who mentioned the term ‘kitchen cabinet’ to describe how certain decisions were taken by a close group of people in Castille. Kurt Sansone

10:11 Cardona: “Electrogas was a project, which us as politicians, would link with the reduction in energy tariffs. Then the media started to come out with stories that cast shadows on it and the issues would be discussed at Cabinet and parliamentary group level… The Electrogas project was under Konrad Mizzi’s remit.” Kurt Sansone

10:09 He invites the board to see the press releases about the various projects, which he says indicate the originator of the project. “Konrad Mizzi,” remarks Judge Abigail Lofaro. Kurt Sansone

10:08 Cardona draws comparisons with the artisans and crafts Village project in Ta’ Qali. “This was led by Malta Industrial Parks, but the general guidelines had been drafted by my ministry,” he says. Kurt Sansone

10:07 Cardona: “I had no suspicion as I didn't know the RFP was going to be issued. Probably the decision was communicated to me by Malta Enterprise but in this case, they would have informed the OPM. The OPM is the heart, the most important organ in government.” Kurt Sansone

10:06 Cardona is asked whether he saw anything suspicious about signing the MOU with investors interested in hospitals privatisation, five months before the government published a request for proposals. Kurt Sansone

10:05 Cardona: “It is not enforceable. It is not a promise of sale.” Kurt Sansone

10:05 “Some element of commitment is there,” points out chief justice emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino. Kurt Sansone

10:04 Cardona says he would not participate in the negotiations. “I represent the government as a minister, that's why I signed them. The MOU is just an agreement to negotiate a contract. It is not binding like a contract.” Kurt Sansone

10:03 Cardona says that during his time, ME signed 15 MOUs with private companies, including foreign chambers of commerce, universities and others, and over 10 memorandums of an institutional nature, meaning the government had entered into an agreement with another government or government entity, like Saudi Arabia, and MCAST. Kurt Sansone

10:02 Cardona is asked why he had signed the memorandum of understanding with the hospitals investors. “Because I would sign all the government MoU’s with foreign entities. The National Audit Office had also asked me about this,” he says. Kurt Sansone

10:00 Cardona is asked how he had found out that the government was going to privatise the three public hospitals? “I found out at Cabinet level… The same applies to Electrogas,” he replies. Kurt Sansone

09:59 Cardona: “ME used to have a blanket policy to attack every possible jurisdiction, including Brazil but I had started the practise of micro-targeting... targeting niche markets which made sense to the investor. We switched our modus operandi and instead of chasing investors, we attracted them to us.” Kurt Sansone

09:58 Judge Mallia observes that it appears that Malta Enterprise and the Office of the Prime Minister had overlapping interests. Kurt Sansone

09:57 Cardona says that Projects Malta never fell under his remit. But Malta Enterprise was under his remit all throughout his tenure as minister. Kurt Sansone

09:56 Cardona: “Everybody would have their agenda which would be discussed. I would do my own presentations with technical experts waiting outside to answer questions that may arise, or if the issue was technical, the experts would do it themselves. My legal advisor was Nadine Sant (now magistrate Nadine Lia). She had also worked at the Attorney General’s office.” Kurt Sansone

09:54 Cardona explains that in general, Cabinet would have between 12 and 15 items on the agenda. It normally started at 10am and went on until 2pm, or 3pm. After Cabinet, the prime minister would speak to some members about their portfolios. Kurt Sansone

09:53 Cardona says he was elected in the 1996, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2017 general elections. As minister, he never missed a cabinet meeting, he says. Kurt Sansone

09:52 Cardona says he had worked with Mark Vassallo, Shazoo Ghaznavi, Michael Grech in the same office, but the arrangement was one of cost-sharing. Kurt Sansone

09:51 Cardona is asked about his legal career. He graduated in 1999 and was elected to parliament in 1996. He had done his legal practice with Dr Edward Woods. After graduating, he did a Masters at IMLI on international commercial law. “My wish was to work in that sector but because of politics I opened an office in Birkirkara and since then I have worked almost exclusively in criminal law,” he says. Kurt Sansone

09:50 Cardona is cautioned but says he wants to answer all the board's questions. Kurt Sansone

09:49 He is asked if he is subject to any judicial inquiries or proceedings. “Yes. The Vitals one. The inquiry is being conducted by Magistrate Gabriella Vella but I have not been called to testify yet,” Cardona replies. Kurt Sansone

09:46 Cardona gives his particulars to the board. He says that he lives in Madliena. Kurt Sansone

09:45 Cardona is assisted by lawyer Jonathan Attard. Kurt Sansone

09:45 Chris Cardona walks into the courtroom. Kurt Sansone

09:45 Retired judge Michael Mallia informs lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia that some of the questions submitted in writing to the board exceeded their terms of reference. She says she tried to gather all the information which could possibly indicate maladministration, but leaves it up to the board. Kurt Sansone

09:43 The judges enter the courtroom. Lawyer Jason Azzopardi is quietly discussing a point with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s sister, Corrinne Vella. Kurt Sansone

09:35 We are waiting for today's sitting of the public inquiry to start. Former economy minister Chris Cardona is expected to testify. Kurt Sansone

09:34 Good morning. Kurt Sansone

Matthew Agius is Senior Reporter on Law and Court Affairs at MaltaToday. He is also a Leg...