AFM stops 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech’s yacht after leaving Portomaso at 5:30am
AFM patrol boats have intercepted the yacht of Electrogas investor and 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech leaving the Portomaso Marina at 5am, less than 24 hours after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced that he recommended a pardon for the middleman in the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Lovin Malta reported witnesses saying the ‘Gio’ left the Portomaso marina at roughly 5:30am, but was stopped by AFM patrol vessels in waters outside of Pembroke at 5:45am, and escorted back towards Portomaso.
A rigorous search by the AFM took place at the marina.
The incident comes just under 24 hours after Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he had signed a letter in which he was committing himself to recommend a presidential pardon to a suspect alleged to be involved in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The suspect is Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver from Birkirkara who was previously implicated in loan sharking, according to court records.
“The police have carried out a coordinated operation together with Interpol, where people arrested on a money laundering operation, included someone connected to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia,” Joseph Muscat said on the steps of Castille, Tuesday morning.
Muscat did not identify the suspect, but said the person had indicated to police they had evidence to corroborate their claims.
He also said the decision to recommended a presidential pardon was his alone. “This will not be discussed or decided in Cabinet. I have a general mandate from Cabinet on decisions such as these, and I will assume political responsibility personally for this decision.”
However, the suspect has requested to receive immunity in the form of the pardon on all past crimes, before giving evidence. “This request was put to me. I have spoken to investigators and the Attorney General, and we agreed that a blanket immunity cannot be given on all this person’s cases, unless all evidence is corroborated in the court of law.”
Muscat said he signed a letter in which he committed himself to the pardon, only once all evidence on the Caruana Galizia murder can be ascertained will be corroborated in the courts of law. “The person has the assurance that… if the evidence will be enough for us to capture the person who commissioned the murder.”
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