Keith Schembri denied bail, court urges prosecution to wrap up investigation

Former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, Malcolm Scerri, and Robert Zammit were denied bail over charges of corruption in a bribery and money laundering case.

Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech made it clear that she was denying the men bail at “this stage” and urged the prosecution to wrap up its investigation as quickly as possible.

However, Schembri’s father Alfio, a director of the Kasco group, was granted bail. He will have to put up a €20,000 deposit and €50,000 guarantee for bail.  Schembri will have to deposit his passport, ID card and driver’s licence with the court. He must live at his Cospicua home, and sign a bail book at the Cospicua police station daily.

Keith Schembri, together with his elderly father Alfio Schembri, a director of several of the Kasco companies, and business partner Malcolm Scerri and financial controller Robert Zammit have been charged on multiple counts of money laundering, fraud, forgery and corruption.

They formed part of a group of 11 people charged last week, including a former managing director at Allied Newspapers, publishers of Times of Malta.