Keith Schembri being investigated for homicide, tampering with evidence, court hears

The police are still trying to locate Keith Schembri’s mobile phone after the former chief of staff told them that he lost it.

The revelation was made in court this morning as the compilation of evidence against Yorgen Fenech continued. Fenech is charged with being the mastermind behind the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Lead investigator Keith Arnaud was testifying and under cross-examination told the court that police went to arrest Schembri at 5.30am on 26 November. Schembri told the police that he had lost his mobile phone.

Just a few hours before, Schembri had a late-night meeting with Joseph Muscat at the Prime Minister’s private residence in Burmarrad.

Arnaud told the court that the police were still trying to locate Schembri’s mobile phone.

However, the inspector also said that Schembri was being investigated for “homicide, tampering with evidence and other offences” and these were being dealt with by other police units.

Schembri had been arrested for 50 hours before being released from police custody.

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He was interrogated over his alleged connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Schembri has been indicated by suspect Yorgen Fenech as an informant on police investigations, something that the former chief of staff has denied.

In court, Arnaud insisted that investigations into Schembri are ongoing.

He told the court that Fenech became a suspect in the murder investigation around August and September 2018.

Arnaud said that Fenech’s name was mentioned during police briefings with the Prime Minister in Castille but nobody knew at the time that Schembri and Fenech were close friends.