[WATCH] Chris Cardona long suspected plot to link him to Daphne Caruana Galizia murder

Former economy minister and Labour deputy leader Chris Cardona says frame-up letter received by Yorgen Fenech was proof of ‘false and cruel plot’

Labour MP Chris Cardona
Labour MP Chris Cardona

Chris Cardona had long suspected a “plot” to implicate him in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, the former minister said.

Cardona said there had been a build-up of allegations against him over the past two years but kept his faith in the judicial process.

He was being interviewed on TVM’s Xtra on Thursday, where he opened up about his feelings of shock and disbelief when the alleged frame-up against him was outed last month.

Caruana Galizia murder suspect Yorgen Fenech claimed to have received a letter while on police bail from former chief of staff Keith Schembri with instructions to pin the assassination on Cardona.

Information to this effect had been shared with Cabinet during an emergency session that discussed a pardon request made by Fenech last year.

Cardona’s disbelief upon hearing about the letter was mitigated by a sense of relief that his previous suspicions were now grounded in solid evidence of a plot against him.

“At least there is proof to show that this was a false and cruel plot to try to involve me in this affair,” Cardona said when recalling his emotions on being told about the letter.

Cardona was one of three former Cabinet members who lost their ministerial jobs after Robert Abela became prime minister.

But the former minister refused to elaborate on whether the decision for him to leave Cabinet came from him or the Prime Minister, insisting that it is “politically unethical” for one to publicly discuss private conversations with the Prime Minister.

Cardona is still an MP and holds the post of deputy leader for party affairs. Speculation has been mounting on his future in politics.

Cardona spoke of his belief that everybody in politics has an expiry date and how he felt that there was still more he could offer the party.

“I cannot imagine myself without the Labour Party or how I can live without being involved in it,” he said.

Asked about Joseph Muscat’s administration, Cardona said the government may have had too much of a business mentality.

However, he defended the administration’s track record, saying that it was focussed on achieving results.

“Joseph Muscat’s government was one which had some faults, in the sense that it had too much of a business mentality,” Cardona admitted.

Cardona said he continued to look at Muscat with “admiration and respect” that was unchanged from previous years, even though he admitted that the former prime minister may have made some bad decisions and errors of judgement.