The court is continuing to watch audiovisual recordings of Yorgen Fenech’s four-hour police interrogation following his November 2019 arrest, with Inspector Kurt Zahra giving evidence about the investigation.Fenech told police he had considered Keith Schembri “like a brother” and had deliberately protected him, but said their relationship eventually broke down when he came to believe Schembri had betrayed him.The accused said Schembri kept him informed about developments in the murder investigation, including advance warning of Theuma’s arrest and the planned arrests of his partner and daughter. He also told police that Schembri had given him a copy of Theuma’s presidential pardon application.Fenech said he wanted to protect both Schembri and Theuma. He claimed Schembri had previously given Theuma a “phantom” government job to calm him when he became agitated and threatened to speak to authorities.He also claimed Theuma repeatedly demanded money from him, eventually “wearing me down” and prompting him to call Schembri for help. Fenech said Schembri subsequently arrived at his office with a bag containing between €75,000 and €80,000.But Fenech said his view of Schembri changed after he was allegedly given a “script” through doctor Adrian Vella instructing him to seek a presidential pardon. Fenech said it was at this point that he realised Schembri had betrayed him.He also claimed Schembri had arranged for him to leave Malta. Fenech said he initially believed he was travelling to Gozo with Vella, but later realised the plan was to get him out of the country and eventually to Tunisia.He said he became suspicious when Schembri called Vella and told him: “I’ll miss you, my friend.” Vella then returned to Malta to collect Fenech’s brother Franco and his passport.Fenech told police he knew Theuma was secretly recording their conversations and believed more recordings had yet to be recovered. When Zahra challenged him over why he had never named Schembri in those recordings, Fenech said he had “loved and respected him like a brother” and had done everything he could to protect him.The claims form part of Fenech’s 2019 police interrogation and have not been established as fact. Schembri has denied involvement in the murder.•