Keith Schembri

Keith Schembri served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat from 2013 to 2019. He has faced numerous criminal charges, investigations, and sanctions throughout his career. In December 2021, the United States Department of State sanctioned Schembri for involvement in significant corruption. He currently faces multiple criminal proceedings, including charges filed in March 2021 for money laundering, corruption, fraud, and forgery, as well as charges from May 2024 related to the Vitals Global Healthcare contract for bribery, criminal association, and money laundering. In November 2024, he was charged with leaking information to individuals involved in the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Specific allegations include: Offshore structures: Identified in the 2016 Panama Papers as holding secret companies Hearnville Inc and Tillgate Inc in Panama, and Colson Services Limited in the British Virgin Islands. Passport kickbacks: Investigated for allegedly receiving a €100,000 kickback from auditor Brian Tonna related to the sale of passports. Allied Newspapers/Progress Press: Accused of bribing former managing directors Adrian Hillman and Vincent Buhagiar with over €600,000 in connection with lucrative printing contracts. 17 Black/Interference: An inquiry concluded Schembri interfered in police investigations into 17 Black—a Dubai-based company owned by murder suspect Yorgen Fenech—and the Panama Papers. Fenech has accused Schembri of being the mastermind behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Schembri resigned in November 2019 following his arrest in relation to the murder investigation. He has pleaded not guilty to the financial charges against him.