A strange thing happened in court yesterday. Lawyers for Yorgen Fenech said there had been a tape that Melvyn Theuma had recorded but was never heard in court. Yorgen Fenech’s defence team knew about it. The scene in court looked like nobody else did.
As it turned out the tape wasn’t heard because the audio file on the court’s computer was “corrupted”. This twist has yet to play out. But it’s making a lot of people nervous. The prosecution’s case against Yorgen Fenech relies on Melvyn Theuma’s testimony. Melvyn Theuma’s testimony relies on his immunity. His immunity relies on him saying the truth. The whole truth. Did he?
As this drama unfolded Lawrence Cutajar spent the entire day outside the courtroom, waiting to be allowed inside. At the end of the day he was only allowed inside to be told to come again another day and to be warned not to speak to anyone in the meantime.
Our former police chief is under caution. We know he discussed Melvyn Theuma’s eventual arrest with someone he knew to be a friend of Theuma’s. That was an interference in the case behind the backs of investigators. Did he interfere even more than that? Did he take a fat bribe to arrange for Melvyn Theuma’s pardon? Is his interference going to threaten the state’s entire case against Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killers?
Meantime, here’s a detail. Lawrence Cutajar yesterday showed up in court assisted by a lawyer. Witnesses don’t normally need lawyers but we’re not supposed to infer anything from his decision to show up with one.
By extension we’re not supposed to infer anything from the choice of lawyer Lawrence Cutajar had with him.
He was assisted by Ezekiel Psaila.
Another Psaila lawyer has been advising another witness in the state’s murder case against Yorgen Fenech: Ishmael Psaila is assisting Keith Schembri.
Ezekiel and Ishmael are of course separate individuals. They also work for different law firms. And as Ezekiel warns us in a recent post on his Facebook page we must never confuse a lawyer practicing in the criminal courts with their clients.
We are cautioned not to infer anything about the fact that Lawrence Cutajar and Keith Schembri are attached to a brotherly tag team of lawyers.
Nor are we to infer anything from this charming photo the Psailas sport here with the legendary Labour and late Ronnie Pellegrini.
