Judge declares Yorgen Fenech’s first statement to the police inadmissible

A judge has declared the first statement made by Yorgen Fenech to the police after his arrest in 2019 as inadmissible and not to be exhibited as evidence in his upcoming trial. 

Madam Justice Edwina Grima delivered her judgment in chambers on Friday on a number of pre-trial pleas made by both the defence and the prosecution in the case against Fenech, who stands charged with having masterminded the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

The 76-page judgement deals with a number of exemptions made by both parties on what evidence can and cannot be shown to the jury during the eventual trial. 

While the judge denied the majority of the defence’s 36 pleas, she upheld a request to have a statement given by Fenech to the police in connection to his request for a presidential pardon struck from the record.

The defence argued that these statements had been presented under false pretences and did not satisfy the requirement in the criminal code which require any confessions made to be voluntary and not extorted by any promise or suggestion of favour. 

While the Attorney General argued that the exception should be dismissed, drawing comparisons to testimony given by middleman Melvin Theuma...