Europol team must investigate, Caruana Galizia lawyer casts doubt on police suicide claim

The Caruana Galizia family lawyer Jason Azzopardi has cast doubts on the police claim that pardoned middleman Melvin Theuma may have attempted suicide.

In a Facebook comment shortly after midnight, Azzopardi questioned how the police were so quick to claim Theuma’s case was an attempted suicide, so soon after they were alerted to the incident. The post has since been removed but a screen shot of it is being reproduced below.

The Facebook post by Jason Azzopardi, which was deleted soon after

Theuma is understood to have been found suffering from serious knife wounds to his neck and abdomen at his house in Swieqi.

Self-inflicted stab wounds are uncommon and multiple stab wounds are very uncommon in suicides, according to forensic literature.

In a statement released around an hour after the incident, the police said that while it was investigating the case, "the first indications show that Mr Theuma hurt himself".

READ ALSO: Melvin Theuma in critical condition after attempted suicide – police

Theuma was hospitalised and is undergoing surgery.

The civil society NGO Repubblika, which has been also represented by Azzopardi as counsel, called for the introduction of a Joint Investigating Team from Europol in the Maltese investigation. 

“This is enough. We do not want the mafia of money and interests controlling Malta. The authorities have done what they are capable of: nothing. We are reiterating our appeal for a joint Europol-Malta investigating team to bring to justice the mafia that is suffocating Malta.” 

Repubblika said Malta’s history had already been peppered by suspicious deaths, citing the death of Nardu Debono in police custody, Wilfred Cardona, the disappearance and gruesome murder of Lino Cauchi by political associates, and the death of Ganni Psaila who died while police gave chase after a suspected burglary. 

“And we had the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia... we don’t want more murders. We’re determined to see justice being made. We will not stop before the truth is known.”

Nationalist MP Therese Comodini Cachia, tipped to be interim Opposition leader in the internal feud between PN MPs, said it was once again up to Partit Nazzjonalista to “clean up the network of criminality that a Labour government has allowed to take hold of Malta. We must work to see justice done. I will not stop working to seek the truth and justice.” 

Theuma was granted a presidential pardon last year to tell all about the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. He acted as the middleman between businessman Yorgen Fenech and the three men who carried out the assassination.

Theuma was due in court tomorrow to testify under cross-examination by the defence, as the compilation of evidence against Fenech continues.

Azzopardi is appearing in court proceedings as parte civile lawyer for the Caruana Galizia family.