Caruana Galizia public inquiry seeks answers on Castille incident when journalists were locked in

The public inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia continued on Monday with the tourism ministry's head of secretariat being asked about his presence inside the Castille room where journalists were prevented from leaving last November

9 March 2020, 2:35pm
by Matthew Agius

2 min read

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on 16 October 2017

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16:24 That concludes today's sitting. The inquiry continues on Wednesday at 2pm. Kurt Sansone

16:23 The witness steps off the stand. Kurt Sansone

16:23 “I don't know”. He is asked whether he tried opening the door. Sciberras answers “no”. I was waiting for it to open, he says. He doesn't know who opened the door Kurt Sansone

16:21 “Was the door locked from the outside?” Kurt Sansone

16:20 Sciberras is shown a picture of him with his back to the door but insists he was waiting for the door to open so he could leave. Kurt Sansone

16:18 Sciberras recognises Lionel Gerada in the picture but doesn’t know the man's role. Kurt Sansone

16:18 The judge points out that this is the stock answer. “Nobody knows anything outside their direct remit,” the judge points out. Kurt Sansone

16:16 He says he didn't know who was the head of security, to groans from the inquiry board. Kurt Sansone

16:15 Asked whether it had seemed odd to him that these strangers were barring the doors, he said it wasn't his brief. "I am not the head of security. At the time I felt that I had to wait," he adds. The whole incident took around four minutes he says. Kurt Sansone

16:13 He is shown pictures of the incident. "I am waiting like everyone else," he says. He recognises one of the men as Scerri who works in customer care but does not know his first name. Kurt Sansone

16:11 He is asked who was responsible for the situation? "I don't know. I wasn't one of the persons who impeded the journalists from leaving. I mention this because some blogs and portals had alleged that I had." Kurt Sansone

16:10 He doesn't recall whether the door to the room in Castille where the press conference took place, is normally closed after such events. Kurt Sansone

16:08 He is asked about his description of the "hostile, oppressive and aggressive environment" in Castille. Sciberras says that he had heard shouting and insults. It wasn't the serene environment normally expected after a press conference, he adds. Kurt Sansone

16:07 Joseph Said Pullicino presses him on the presence of these third parties, but the witness says he could only answer for himself and could not say why the men were there. Kurt Sansone

16:07 He denies having anything to do with keeping the journalists in. He says he had wanted to leave the "hostile environment" which he felt there was. Sciberras says he was there on work and could not vouch for the presence of third parties. Kurt Sansone

16:05 The board asks whether there was ever a situation whereby journalists were actively impeded from leaving the room. Kurt Sansone

16:05 Sciberras says there is a practice for journalists to wait for the Prime Minister and ministers to exit from the room when there is a meeting at Castille. "I couldn't get out of the room. I had to wait for the Prime Minister to exit. It is normal practice," he says. Kurt Sansone

16:02 There was a problem because the parliamentary secretary was with her daughter, so the witness had taken the daughter home himself. He had returned to Valletta afterwards. Kurt Sansone

16:01 The questioning turns to the incident where journalists were detained at Castille last November. He had been called up and told to inform his minister that there was an urgent meeting at Castille, Sciberras admits. Kurt Sansone

16:00 Asked whether he had ever discussed it with anyone, for example Glenn Bedingfield, he says "Not once, never." Kurt Sansone

15:59 He admits being aware of the Truth Project. "I've read about it in a general manner, but I'm not in a position to comment about it." Kurt Sansone

15:58 Sciberras is asked about the narrative that the murder was related to fuel smuggling and says that he never had any discussions on this train of thought with anyone in the ministry. Kurt Sansone

15:56 Replying to a question by Judge Abigail Lofaro, Sciberras says he cannot recall any measures to tackle misogyny at his ministry. Kurt Sansone

15:54 That post was about Joseph Muscat's condemnation of the murder, he says. Kurt Sansone

15:52 "What's wrong with that?" he asks. Kurt Sansone

15:51 He is asked about a post he had shared originating from Ramona Attard with the hastag #stopthehate. Kurt Sansone

15:49 Sciberras does not recall working with Glenn Beddingfield on parliamentary questions, but with a certain David Bartolo. Kurt Sansone

15:48 Kurt Farrugia, the former head of government communications, would have the final say in statements to the media and answers to questions. Kurt Sansone

15:47 "I never had such a question... they were all answered in Parliament," he says. Whenever the media sent questions they would be answered through the appropriate channels, he says. Kurt Sansone

15:46 Farrugia Portelli's remit included at the time, the passport scheme known as IIP. How would he prepare for a message on IIP? Kurt Sansone

15:45 At the time of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, Sciberras says he was no longer a communications official but was head of secretariat with then parliamentary secretary Julia Farrugia Portelli. Kurt Sansone

15:44 Asked how he used to build a political message, he says that his job was not to create policy but answer questions and communicate the ministry's message. Kurt Sansone

15:41 That was the only time he recalls answering a question by Caruana Galizia. Sciberras says that he didn't recall having to issue a statement about her work. Kurt Sansone

15:41 The board clarifies the question and asks him whether he had ever heard discussions on Caruana Galizia’s writings. He replies that his only contact with Daphne was once in 2014 when he was contacted by her for information about a particular person. "I had answered her. The story was about the engagement of Marisa Schembri," he says. Kurt Sansone

15:39 Asked about any discussions on Caruana Galizia's writings, Sciberras repeats his list of official duties. Kurt Sansone

15:39 His access was limited to the second floor, where the PM's office was but in a different wing. “It was very far away,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:38 Prior to January, Julia Farrugia Portelli's office was at Castille – she was parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister – he replies to a question by Comodini Cachia. Kurt Sansone

15:37 He says that since 15 January he has been head of the secretariat at the Tourism Ministry. Prior to that he was with Julia Farrugia Portelli, since 2017, and before that he was communications officer within the tourism ministry under Karmenu Vella. When Vella was appointed European Commissioner, Sciberras moved to Helena Dalli's ministry – civil liberties. Kurt Sansone

15:35 Sciberras is called in before the inquiry board. Kurt Sansone

15:35 Sciberras is head of secretariat within the tourism ministry. In the past, he worked as an interview host on ONE TV, was communications coordinator at the tourism ministry and before that at the civil liberties ministry. The dossier contains some social media posts on Daphne and politics. Kurt Sansone

15:24 Lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia approach the Bench. Kurt Sansone

15:23 The Board is discussing who to summon and when. On Wednesday, the Board will summon the Head of the DOI and police Inspector Keith Arnaud. On Friday, only police Assistant Commissioner Ian Abdilla will testify. Kurt Sansone

15:20 Pace has finished testifying. Kurt Sansone

15:20 He is being quizzed on the criteria used in accepting members of the IGM. “Every case is different… It is not always clear how much every website is giving out news or just performing public relations.” Kurt Sansone

15:16 Was the IGM consulted in the promulgation of the new Media and Defamation Act, asks Comodini Cachia. Pace replies that he wasn't occupying his role in the IGM at the time. Kurt Sansone

15:15 Asked about Malta's downgrading on the press freedom index, he agrees this was a worrying development. Kurt Sansone

15:14 “The IGM tries to, when there is something wrong, speak out, but it is limited in its power,” he replies. Kurt Sansone

15:14 This incident preceded Pace’s time as president of the IGM. Kurt Sansone

15:13 Lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia asks whether the IGM would intervene if there was a journalist complaining about another journalist writing about him. She specifically asks about an incident involving a press release issued by the IGM about Daphne Caruana Galizia attacking Julia Farrugia, in which the IGM had taken Farrugia's side. Kurt Sansone

15:08 “If a journalist feels threatened they should go to the police for protection. The IGM is limited in resources and teeth,” Pace says. Kurt Sansone

15:05 “All the IGM could do if this happened was make it public. The IGM cannot compel the government to comply with requests for information,” he says. Kurt Sansone

15:04 Asked if there is an authority they could flag this problem to, or some way of circumventing it, Pace says there is the Freedom of Information request procedure. He says nobody had come to the IGM with a complaint over a FOI request being rejected, although there were media reports about this happening. Kurt Sansone

14:59 He says there is a level of discrimination between newsrooms. “There is the reality of journalists sending questions and remaining without answers. You cannot fail to answer questions and then cry foul when an article is published,” he says. Kurt Sansone

14:57 Pace is asked about favouritism amongst government members and individual newsrooms. Kurt Sansone

14:57 Pace says the Venice Commission did not meet the IGM during its fact finding mission to Malta. Kurt Sansone

14:56 SLAPP lawsuits are court cases filed in foreign jurisdictions against journalists, which are very difficult and costly to defend against. Kurt Sansone

14:55 Pace says the IGM had issued a statement that remarked how journalists were insufficiently protected. He cannot recall any official proposals by the organisation. Pace says he joined the IGM after the SLAPP issue had been raised, and says the organisation was fighting for the protection of journalists. Kurt Sansone

14:49 He is asked whether there were reports of threats and harassment of journalists. Pace says that the IGM filed a judicial protest after the events of last November when the press was locked in at Castille. Kurt Sansone

14:48 The IGM is registered as a voluntary organisation, as an NGO. “It does not have authority to issue access or press cards,” Pace says. Kurt Sansone

14:47 He explains that “technically there are no legal provisions allowing press card carriers to access limited access areas”. The IGM does not have sufficient funds yet to establish a structure to issue press cards, he adds. Kurt Sansone

14:46 “It’s up to the DOI to issue the cards. The register is in the hands of the DOI at the moment. There were plans to transfer this to the IGM,” Pace says. Kurt Sansone

14:43 Pace says the IGM was in constant dialogue with the authorities over several issues. He is asked about Department of Information press cards, which he says have changed to access cards since then. “The application for a press card needs a signature from the editor but I don't know if the DOI requires some form of registration.” Kurt Sansone

14:41 Pace was elected in July 2018 and had remained chair in a provisory manner until a replacement was selected, him having ceased to work in the field of journalism last year. The IGM is not a government entity, he explains. Kurt Sansone

14:40 The president of the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM), Yannick Pace is summoned to testify and he takes the stand. Kurt Sansone

14:39 The inquiry board noted the interview by Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo with journalist Tim Sebastian that was broadcast DW and ordered that a copy of the interview be submitted in the acts of the proceedings. A request that Bartolo testify was submitted by lawyer Jason Azzopardi. Kurt Sansone

14:38 Good afternoon. We are sitting in for another session of the Caruana Galizia public inquiry. Kurt Sansone

It is normal practice for journalists to wait for the Prime Minister or ministers to exit the room where a briefing would have taken place, the head of the tourism ministry's secretariat said.

Reuben Sciberras described the atmosphere inside the room as "hostile, oppressive and aggressive" with shouting and insults.

"It wasn't the serene environment normally expected after a press conference," he told the Caruana Galizia public inquiry on Monday.

Sciberras, who was one of the people inside the room, said he was waiting for the doors to open so that he could leave and denied impeding journalists from leaving the room.

The incident happened after a late night emergency Cabinet meeting was called to discuss a request for pardon by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech. Journalists were stopped from exiting the room, immediately after the prime minister gave a press conference.

Sciberras said that he could not recall whether the door to the room in Castille where the press conference took place, was normally closed after such events.

"I don't know [who is responsible]. I wasn't one of the persons who impeded the journalists from leaving. I mention this because some blogs and portals had alleged that I had," Sciberras said.

The inquiry had to hear the testimony of civil service chief Mario Cutajar but instead heard the testimony of Institute of Maltese Journalists president Yannick Pace, instead.

At the last sitting, Keith Schembri’s assistant, Charlene Bianco Farrugia, had confirmed under oath that Yorgen Fenech was often at Castille.

This was the first time that a government official from the Office of the Prime Minister confirmed that Fenech visited Castille.

Fenech stands accused of masterminding Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder.

The public inquiry is tasked to determine, among other things, whether the government did enough to protect the journalist and prevent her murder.

The public inquiry is presided by retired judge Michael Mallia and includes as its members, former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino and Judge Abigail Lofaro.

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