Caruana Galizia murder: ‘Kenneth from Castille’ formed part of Prime Minister's security detail

Melvin Theuma has given shocking testimony on how a “Kenneth from Castille” relayed a message that promised bail for three men accused of murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

Testifying in the compilation of evidence against George Degiorgio, Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, Theuma on Wednesday said that he had been approached by a “Kenneth from Castille” who passed on the message that the three men were to receive “one million each after getting bail”.

The approach was made when Theuma started fearing for his life after hearing that Vince Muscat was speaking to the police. Theuma did not indicate a timeframe for this mysterious approach by Kenneth.

READ ALSO: Melvin Theuma testifies - Decision to assassinate the journalist was taken in early 2017, postponed for election and re-activated on Sunday of election result

Theuma did not indicate who “Kenneth” is but well-placed sources have pointed at Kenneth Camilleri, who worked as part of the security detail of the Prime Minister.

Camilleri would have automatically been part of the Security Service but was not involved in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation

Camilleri is understood to have been assigned to Keith Schembri and had also accompanied Neville Gafa, an employee in the Office of the Prime Minister, during a mysterious visit to Libya.

In court, Theuma said that “nobody had sent for Kenneth”. “I told him that I would go to Keith’s doorstep myself,” Theuma said, adding that he understood the man was relaying messages from Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff in the Office of the Prime Minister.

No money was eventually paid and no bail was given to the three men accused of the murder.

Theuma testified that it had been businessman Yorgen Fenech who commissioned the assassination early in 2017.

Theuma acted as the middleman, contracting the Degiorgio brothers and Vince Muscat. Theuma finalised the contract during a meeting with Alfred Degiorgio at the Busy Bee in Msida and the men had to take €150,000.

Fenech told Theuma that he wanted to eliminate Daphne Caruana Galizia because she was going to reveal information on his uncle Ray Fenech. However, Theuma told the court that Yorgen’s persistence led him to believe that information was probably more about Yorgen than his uncle.

Theuma told the court that when the 2017 general election was called, Yorgen told him to postpone the murder. But on the Sunday of the election result, Fenech gave Theuma the order to proceed with the plans and kept pestering him for updates.

Another shocking detail Theuma gave the court was that the three men accused of the murder had been tipped off days before the massive police raid on their shed in Marsa in December 2017.

Yorgen Fenech was privy to the raid and had the message relayed to the accused through Theuma.

Theuma said he started getting depressed and fearful after the men were arrested and at some point, started recording his conversations with Yorgen Fenech and saving them on pen drives.

Fenech was unfazed when Theuma told him that the FBI were involved: “At the end of the day it will be the Maltese police carrying out the investigation, Fenech used to tell me.”