Records show Melvin Theuma got government job the day Muscat called an election

Records do indeed show that Melvin Theuma was employed by the government from 1 May 2017, the day Joseph Muscat called a snap election, and that he was not lying when he gave his testimony in court on Wednesday.

Theuma is the middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder. He told the court during his testimony that he was given a job with the government following an intervention by the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

A handwritten letter published by the press showed Theuma alleging that Schembri had found him a job with the government. Said letter was found by police during a search of the Portomaso property of Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination. 

However, the Principal Pemanent Secretary's office said in a statement on Wednesday that Theuma's name does not feature on the list of people who had been public service employees.

The statement said that all employment data were today - in light of the court sitting - being verified afresh and all employment records had also been requested from all government entities.

However, records which surfaced later in the day show that Theuma was indeed employed as a messenger/driver by the Housing Maintenance and Embellishment Company, a government officially appointed body, from 1 May 2017.

The contract was a full-time indefinite contract and this happened just a few weeks before the early general election of 2017 was held. Theuma confirmed that he never reported to work despite receiving some four cheques. 

According to his testimony, he was told he had the job by the head of Castille's customer care, Sandro Craus, after a brief meeting with Keith Schembri.

MaltaToday had previously attempted to reach the Home Affairs office and no answer was sent at the time of writing.