Fenech Adami: 'I did everything possible to see Karin Grech, Raymond Caruana murders solved'

Former prime minister says he assiduously pursued investigations into 1980s' political murders but ineffective investigations at the time prevented necessary evidence-gathering.

11 December 2010, 12:00am
by Matthew Vella

2 min read

Former prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami said he was "anxious as anybody" to see that the 1977 murder of Karin Grech, the 15-year-old daughter of strike-breaker Prof. Edwin Grech, be resolved.

"I don't understand why the police at the time was not able to investigate the murder. I think the necessary investigations were not carried out then. When I was made prime minister, I instructed the police to do all necessary investigations, and the case is still open to this day. We need to know the truth of why this girl was murdered," Fenech Adami told presenter Andrew Azzopardi today on Radju Malta.

Answering questions on the other political murder of the 1980s, the 1986 shooting of PN activist Raymond Caruana in the Gudja PN club, Fenech Adami also said that a lack of police investigations at the time had prevented the collection of vital evidence.

“I did all I could to investigate and took an interests into the details of the investigations to see that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

“I think they could have easily been identified had the necessary evidence been collected at the time. When I was PM, we managed to establish that the weapon used in the Raymond Caruana shooting was the same one planted in the farmhouse of Pietru Pawl Busuttil.

“We found that the weapon had been manufactured from surplus barrels by Armed Forces of Malta officers and we managed to track down the person – today dead – who last had the weapon in hand. Although there was no proof that this person committed the murder, we told the police that if the person could not say who was the person it last gave the weapon to, then it should proceed against the person.”

Raymond Caruana was murdered at the Gudja club headquarters on 5 December 1986, at the age of 26. While at the PN club, a car drove past the club, firing several shots. One bullet fatally hit Caruana in the throat, killing him. Peter Paul Busuttil was charged with the murder, but it later transpired that he had been the victim of a police frame-up. A second man, Nicholas Ellul, was also charged with the murder but he died of a drug overdose before his trial began.

Karin Grech was killed by a letter bomb explosion in December 1977 at the height of the industrial dispute between the then Labour government and the doctors, when Prof Grech - a strike breaker - had continued to work at St Luke’s Hospital. The murder remains unsolved. On 30 November, 2010, the First Hall of the Civil Court awarded compensation of €419,000 to the relatives of Karin Grech.

Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...

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For the benefit of the younger generation....when Ray Caruana and Karen grech were murdered, WE HAD A LABOUR REGIME. Maybe someone could have an interest in hiding the real facts. Because why was Pietru Pawl framed? And why were the investigations into the Karen's murder were carrtied in a half hearted manner?

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Yes it is true that Eddie Fenech Adami tried all to solve the murder, everyone know that he even lied and told us that he will tell us when elected Prime Minister.

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Dik, l-ahwa kienet is-sitwazzjoni politika fi zmien ir-regim tat-tiranni! Zewg delitti u r-regim laburista ma jaqbad lil hadd Ghax dak iz-zmien il-laburisti kienu fil-gvern, imma nafu x'kien ir-rizultat. Frame ups!!!!!!!!!!

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Lil Dr Eddie Fenech Adami nghidlu li huwa qabel l-elezjoni kien qal LI JAF MIN KIEN QATEL LIL RAYMOND CARUANA U LIL KAREN GRECH u mhux li qal li ser jaghmel dak li jista biex inkunu nafu il QATTIELA TAGHHOMu lil Dr Eddie Fenech Adami nghidlu ikoll li wara li tela il PN fil gvern dawk il BOMBI li kienu isiru mad djar ta l-Ufficjali li kienu jahdmu mal PL li kien fil gvern ma BAQAX ISIRU

Alfred Galea •

@ mf..... It is the PN and its media, including the PN Times, Pippi and Loo and well known "columnists and bloggers" who are always bringing up the past to justify the hnizrijiet that they're doing in the present. All you have to do is to take a good look at THAT picture and at the face of the ex prime minister/president of the republic, in the presence of a dead man. Look also at the guy in the raincoat. Also, take a look at the amount of blood, that will tell you how many of those present tried to help this man after he was hit. They enjoyed a lot of political mileage out of that picture.

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@mf It is not a question of what EFA did or did not do but what he promised prior to general elections.

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did they pose for the photo? the only one missing is Louis Galea

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Dr Fenech Adami took the right steps on both issues. It is easy to criticize without considering the implications and consequences. I don’t agree with two things that he did A: state openly about the culprits and B: decency by the media on the above picture. They were dark political ages and Dr Muscat apologized for such happenings. Yet we have to look forward and ensure that such events are never repeated. We are all responsible for our future and we cannot keep point fingers at PL. Today the political climate is over corrupted. My father always used to tell me that the world is corrupts, but do not let it corrupt your heart. Now I understand more what he meant. He gave a lot for Democracy and in what he believed. Giving freely without expecting anything in return. Very different from today's businessmen. Can we bring common sense back to our beautiful Islands? There are genuine Maltese still giving freely to retain Malta’s Image abroad and among their Brethren, so hope is last to die.

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"There is no person so severely punished, as those who subject themselves to the whip of their own conscience" Seneca.

Luke Camilleri •

Fuq il-kuxjenza tieghek qedin, specjalment il-Mewt ta' Karin li lanqas qatt ma ikkomomerajt kemm domt Kap ta' Oppozzizzjoi u kemm bhala Prim Ministru. Ghalhiex fl-anniversarju tal-mewt SVINTURATA ta' Raymond Caruana tmur ma delegazzjoni fuq qabru u fl-anniversarju tal MEWT PJANATA ta' Karin lanqas tidher b'nemes? . Rizultar ta' instigar ta' inkwiet biex jinhataf il-poter , xejn anqas. Fuq il-Kuxjenza tieghek jibqghu u lanqas kont kapaci tikkonsidra nominazzjoni ta' missier karin ghal President! . Fuq il-kuxjenza tieghek jibqghu!

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I have just one thing to say to you Mr ten million dollar man. Crawl back in your hole.

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@ Joe South. No, this paper could never find a picture of Karin Grech's mutilated body because her parents refused to let herfbe used for political purpose. Not like the Pn and the family of Raymond Caruana who used the body pilsessly foer propaganda purposes. You can tell from the photo - corpses are always discreetly covered by a sheet - but not for the power-hungry PN leaders. They should hang their heads in shame.

Godfrey Grech •

Knowing who committed a murder is one thing, having enough evidence to prove this beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law is another.

Alfred Galea •

Evil is, as evil does. And that is the face of evil.

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briffy@maltanet you forget that the PN did its best to destabilize the PL Government and no one was collaborating in any investigations. I do believe that EFA knows who the perpetrators are but I also believe that he doesn't want to spill the beans because they will point at the PN. Remember that you told us that you will tell us who are the Karen Grech and Raymond Caruana murderers EFA. Are yo going to tell us what you said you knew before you were elected EFA?

Alfred Galea •

To MaltaToday.....couldn't you find a picture of Karin's body, blown up to pieces and post it right next to the one of Raymond's body. Briffy, it was ruled by the court that the assassination was "politically motivated"....a well-planned well-executed murder, albeit with the wrong victim. Happened during a strike by doctors against the government. As for the other murder, it was a random shooting, no intended victims, plus the "crime scene" was prejudiced before the cops arrived. With regards to Eddie.....he's just being a useful idiot, just like Jimmy Carter.

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edward fenech adami, what is wrong? are you feeling so much remorse ? cannot you sleep at night? what burden you had to carry on all your life- say the truth, and you will rest in the end, before it's too late!!!!! sleep tight edward fenech adami- VERDICT= OUTDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Karin Grech was the unfortunate victim, though it doesn't seem that she was the intended victim. This atrocious crime was committed a decade before the PN took over the administration. It's not fair that some people put the blame on the PN for failing to catch the perpetrator. Labour was in government for a full decade after this heinous crime was committed and the perpetrator wasn't caught; neither was the one who addressed another letter bomb to another doctor who luckily for him did not open it and was spared the unfortunate consequences. As for Raymond Caruana's case in December 1986, the article states that the Police failed miserably in their investigations because they had prevented the collection of vital evidence. Again these events took place during the Labour administration.The article says that a certain Nicholas Ellul was arraigned but he died of a drug overdose befor the start of the trial.

Jeffrey Vella •

Ara veru ma jisthix dan ir-ragel. Kien hemm z-zmien fejn qal li kien jaf min qatel lil Karen Grech u lil Raymond Caruana.Ghaddew kwazi 25 sena u s'issa bqajna minghajr risposta.U issa qed jghidilna li ghamel dak kollu possibli biex jigu solvuti dawn iz-zewg delitti. Ma jdahhakx. Xi darba ghad trid tohrog il-verita' fuq dawn iz-zewg delitti u meta tohrog ha tpoggi lil PN f'pozizzjoni antipatika hafna.Tghid hemm raguni ghaliex dawn iz-zewg delitti baqghu mhux solvuti ? S'issa kull ma ghamel il-PN hu li inqeda bil-qtil ta' Raymond Caruana ghal kapital politiku.Jekk veru jiddispjacihom ghal qtil tieghu,messhom ilhom li qabduh il-qattiel/a tieghu !

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Yea...... he made the same investigations he did to check about his son being held from entering university by Dr Alfred Sant, only to end up lieing and paying Lm2000 in libel damages. Yes Eddie you are as credible as Pinocchio.