Melvin Theuma’s Cross-Examination: Schembri, Messages And The Assistant Police Commissioner

Melvin Theuma faced an intense line of questioning under cross-examination by Yorgen Fenech’s defence team, who raised questions over his credibility, namely over the involvement of Keith Schembri in the murder. 

This included Theuma naming Schembri as one of the masterminds in a handwritten note to Fenech.

Theuma repeatedly said that he had only assumed Schembri was involved because of his close relationship with Fenech and his role in the alleged plot to secure bail for the Degiorgio brothers.

“Yes, I lied,” Theuma told jurors. “[Schembri] never mentioned Daphne to me or gave me the money to do it – that was Yorgen Fenech,” he said. 

“You can put me in prison. But Keith Schembri was not involved. I have to tell the truth to get my pardon – and that’s what I am doing.”

“So many people lied in this trial,” Theuma added when asked about other figures who have featured in the case, like Kenneth Camilleri and Johann Cremona – who he said were more involved than they let on under oath. He insisted that Schembri sent Kenneth Camilleri.

He also reiterated that Yorgen Fenech and Johann Cremona informed him of his impending arrest. He also added that he was aware of the police investigation once the bank rescinded a sanction letter.

“Everything Johann said about the raids happened,” he said.

Under questioning, he also revealed that Assistant Police Commissioner Mario Tonna provided him with information on the arrest of the three hitmen: Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio, Vince Muscat – just days after the raid on the Marsa Potato Shed. 

Theuma told the court that he was trying to find out whether investigators had discovered the burner phone he used to communicate with Alfred Degiorgio.

He insisted that Tonna never asked for the information – and revealed that Theuma had once provided Tonna with financial assistance.

“I’ll admit that I gave him something when he was going through a bad time. But that day I gave him nothing,” Theuma said,

On his connections with Lawrence Cutajar, he once again stressed that he “bluffed” his links to the then-Police Commissioner. He told the defence lawyers that he felt he had a good chance of getting a pardon given the evidence he had.

“If I didn’t have the recordings, I would be six feet under,” he said.

Theuma also faced questions over his involvement in three crimes listed in his pardon: the 2007 HSBC heist, the 2010 Casino di Valletta heist, and the failed 2010 robbery of HSBC.

Theuma clarified that in 2007, George Degiorgio had asked to change some 60,000 euros in 20-euro notes. He “figured the money came from somewhere dodgy” but insisted he received nothing in return.

In 2010, he also exchanged 3,000 dollars for Darren ‘It-Topo’ Debono. “Rest assured I was not involved,” he said.

That same year, he also rented an apartment to Debono and Alfred Degiorgio. One day, he received a call to go and discovered Debono with a bullet wound to the face. He called a horse vet to deal with the wound but had no further involvement. Debono was wounded in the botched heist and has been convicted in connection with it.

A series of messages discovered on Theuma’s phone raised some questions with his step-daughet.

One discussed an arson attack on the boyfriend of Theuma’s step-daughter, Ryan. Messages shown to the court around the time of the incident, Theuma said that he knew who was involved, naming “Il-Fulu”, the nickname of Alfred Degiorgio. Theuma said he was joking when he said he was involved.

Another one with his stepdaughter, taken before Daphne’s murder, discussed the journalist and revealed Theuma’s involvement in the killing. 

“I hope she dies, that bitch…Let’s see if she ends up ruining my cheque,” Theuma wrote. 

“She likes to stick her nose into other people’s business,” his stepdaughter replied.