VALLETTA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Lawyers defending Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech against charges he masterminded the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia sought on Wednesday to shift blame to a former top government official.
Fenech is accused of complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia by a car bomb in October 2017, a killing that shocked Europe and set off a political firestorm in Malta, the smallest country in the European Union.
Three men who planted the bomb have already been convicted for their actions. Middleman Melvin Theuma has turned state's evidence after being granted a state pardon.
He subsequently implicated Fenech in the assassination, saying Fenech wanted the anti-corruption journalist killed because he feared she was about to write damaging stories about him, his family and his business dealings.
PROPERTY TYCOON
Fenech, the 44-year-old heir to a property empire that includes hotels and casinos, was arrested in 2019. After lengthy delays, his trial began on July 1 and is expected to wrap up some time next month. He denies all charges.
Defence lawyer Charles Mercieca told the court that the real culprit was Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff of the then prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and a close friend of Fenech at the time.
Schembri has regularly denied any role in the murder and police said he was never considered as a suspect.
Mercieca said investigators had failed to pursue evidence incriminating Schembri, and that Schembri had a motive to kill Caruana Galizia, referring to a file he kept of her articles about him, including items about his health problems.
"Daphne was not killed for what she was going to write (about Fenech). She was killed because of what she wrote (about Schembri)," he said.
Schembri stood down from his powerful role in government in November 2019. Muscat resigned as prime minister the following January after allegations from activists and political opponents that he had protected people linked to the Caruana Galizia killing - a charge he denied.
HANDING OVER MONEY
On Wednesday, Mercieca also questioned Theuma's credibility, saying Fenech was in the United States when the self-confessed middleman had claimed he had asked him to arrange the murder.
"Theuma is trying to sell us his fairytale," the lawyer told the jury.
Theuma has said he was given funds by Fenech to pay the hitmen and later, to cover their defence costs.
Fenech has admitted handing over cash, saying it was not for the murder but to keep Theuma under control amid the police investigation. He said he had been a loyal friend of Schembri, protecting him and trying to contain the situation.
Fenech faces life in prison if convicted of complicity to murder, and up to 18 years if found guilty of a secondary charge of criminal association to commit murder.
(Editing by Crispian Balmer and Timothy Heritage)
