October 23, 2024 • 38 mins
Step inside the life of Melvin Theuma – taxi driver, black-market gambling mogul, and very loyal friend. How did Melvin become the middleman in Malta’s most high-profile murder?
Crooks Everywhere is a production of iHeartPodcasts, Topic Studios and Vespucci.
The voice of Daphne Caruana Galizia is played by Sienna Miller.
The senior producer is Leo Hornak. The producer is Maddie Hickish.
The executive producers are: Christy Gressman for Topic Studios; Katrina Norvell and Nikki Ettore for iHeart Podcasts; Johnny Galvin and Daniel Turcan for Vespucci; and Sienna Miller.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I can't explain Maltese culture. This is not a democratic place.
There is no democratic spirit. People think only in terms
of surviving and keeping the Hakem the Master off their backs.
We have moved from a good house built on solid
rock foundations to a skyscraper built on sand.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's April twenty seventeen, six months before Daphnese murder, a
pleasant warm day on the Key Side in Imcida, a
harbor town just next to Malta's capital of the letter.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
This is a place built for relaxation and luxury. The
water is filled with beautiful and expensive yachts popping gently
in this well. Right now is just before noon, and
a few pedestrians about are mostly middle aged joggers or
restaurant workers on a smoke break. But one man is
here on Celia's business. Mister Middleman, Melvin Toma has an
(01:04):
appointment as definitely would say he's keen to keep the
Hearkem the Master off his back. From iHeart Podcasts, Topic
Studios and Vespucci. I'm Manuel Delia and I'm John Sweeney
and this is Crooks Everywhere, Episode five. The middle Man.
(01:33):
The agreement is to meet here at the Busybe Cafe,
a much loved place that's been around for decades.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And the inside of the busy Bee is also typical
of an old Maltese seafront cafe. Small, with the tables
close together, may be not ideal for the kind of
private conversation that Melvin the Middleman needs to have today.
Even so, it's too late for him to back out now,
even if he were.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Considering it and waiting for Melvin. At a table at
the back end of the busy Bee is a lanky
man in his fifties, thinning hair, nursing a soft drink,
Alfred de Bean de Georgio, the brother of Chinese George
de Georgio.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
The following is once again a reconstruction of events described
in court room testimony by one of those present. We've
dramatized the evidence and provided color in places without changing
any of the material facts or allegations.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
On this day, Alfred de Bean has already been sitting
here for a few minutes. Around the corner, the third
member of the team, Vincent de kof Moscat, is waiting
in a car acting as chauffeur. Melvin the Middleman leans
across the table and they shake hands wherey small talk follows.
(02:51):
If Malta's a small place where everyone knows everyone, the
world of Maltese organized crime is even smaller. Both men
know that if you cross someone, it's not hard for
them to find you. And these two men already go
back years. They aren't close, but Melvin used to rent
out an apartment in the town of Mosta to the
Georgia Brothers. Dangerous men to have as tenants, maybe, but
(03:16):
also maybe useful connections to develop.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Especially if you might need someone to be dealt.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
With for a certain kind of job. In Malta. The
Georgia Brothers are believed to be the real professionals, so
much so that Melvin, the middleman, has already been told
to seek out the Brothers specifically for this particular task.
According to courtroom testimony, that task assassinating Malta's most famous journalist.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Pully Cavelli.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Espresso please thank you coffee is ordered and the real
discussion begins Mada.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
As middleman, Melvin is acting on behalf of this boss,
one of the most powerful men in malt We will
call him mister alleged Mastermind, and we are calling him
that because he's been indicted for arranging Daphne's murder, but
is currently awaiting trial. It seems that mister alleged Mastermind
(04:17):
has been finding Daphne's writing extremely inconvenient recently, and he's
concerned about what she might publish next. According to secretly
tape recordings heard in court, he is particularly concerned about
what she might publish about corruption and government links to business.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So, according to Melvin, mister alleged Mastermind asked him to
get in touch with the the Georgia Brothers to resolve
the situation. As a first step, Melvin the Middleman has
already paid a visit to the Potato Shack, the warehouse
that the Jorjo Brothers and Vincent de Koff use as
an office. On that visit, Melvin let it be known
(04:57):
that someone was willing to pay to have Dafne permanently
a eliminated that Georgios signaled their possible interest and suggested
a further meeting here at the busy Bee.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
And now Alfred the Bean is ready to talk in
more detail.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
The Bean explains that the task is possible, but only
for the right price. Melvin signals that he expected this.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Alfred the Bean doesn't know who Melvin the middle Man
is working for, and naturally he doesn't ask. Also, he
doesn't fully appreciate who daphnely is, her influence in importance
in Maltes's politics, or the international impact her death will
have on their cottage industry of killing people on the island.
(05:43):
In fact, crucially neither of them do.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Both Alfred de Bean and Melvin the Middleman sit on
one side of Malta's deep cultural divide, part of the
mainly Maulti speaking working class world where English language political
blogs are not a big concerned. Although did the Georgis
have connections to politicians like Chris Cardona, they do not
appear to follow politics too closely. But even so, a
(06:09):
contract on someone outside the criminal underworld must be a
major undertaking. It can't come cheap, As the Bean explains,
the Bean is blunt. The price of Daphne's life will
be miasenev one hundred and fifty thousand euros about one
hundred sixty thousand dollars Chinese.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
George will later claim that it was easy for him
and his brother to settle on these numbers. They simply
reuse the figures they had given the last time. Someone
had asked them to kill Daphne. That earlier murder plot
had fizzled out before an attempt could be made on
her lifetor.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Multice for I'll check with someone, and with that, Melvin
the Middleman makes it clear he understands the terms of
the deal. He finishes his and thanks Alfred de Bean
for his time. When the response from his boss comes,
Daphne's death warrant will have been signed.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So how do you become a middleman and a murder plot?
Why would you involve yourself in a crime on behalf
of someone else when you don't even really know who
the victim is or stand to benefit from their death?
What's in it the Melvin the Middleman.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
So far as we can tell, he never asked for
any payment for his work enabling the plot, although he
did receive some reward. Definitely never wrote about the De
Georgia brothers or Melvin the Middleman specifically, but she did
write a lot about the culture that lets organized crime
and corruption thrive in Malta, the kind of networks and
relationships that also underpinned the plot to kill her.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
January twenty ninth, twenty fifteen. The fabric of Maltese society
is your typical Southern Mediterranean situation in which it's the
family versus everybody and everything else.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
And this was a recurring theme for Deafnie, that Malta
is not a society of laws and moral rules, but
instead the culture of networks of power and loyalty.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
There is no concept of society and hence absolutely no
civic sense. Maltese people do not care about each other.
They care about themselves first and foremost, and their immediate
family a close second.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And how does loyalty to family get us through a
murder plot?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Definitely wrote about that too. For her, Maltese culture was
based on what you called a moral feminism. It's a
slightly academic term, but then that was sometimes Deafhnie's style.
A moral feminalism has its own answer to the question
what's the right thing to do. It's not what's best
for everyone, or even what's best for most people. Right
(09:05):
or wrong, is about what's best for my family, because
if it's good for my family, I'm likely to be
better off as well.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
March twenty fifth, twenty thirteen. Those who wish to understand
how Maltese society functions have no choice, but to read
up on a moral famiism. A moral famialism is the
reason people in Malta use their vote as currency and
do not think in terms of the common good or
choosing the right government, but in terms of s fighting
slash rewarding getting slash preventing others from getting. It is
(09:38):
not a trend, but the ancient roots of Maltese society,
not even money or EU membership, have been able to
eradicate it. This is where you have the split between
the two Maltas.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
The two Maltas. That's Snaphanie's name for the cultural divide
between a predominantly English speaking, more middle class group and
the more working class Maltese speaking wider population.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Amorral feminism can also mean that if you are a
person without power or connections, you will need a godfather
to get ahead, someone more powerful than you who can
help you climb the leader, someone to act as family.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Melvin Tooma wasn't an known person before all this came
to light.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Kert Sansne is executive editor of Monta Today, one of
the main English language newspapers in Malta, and someone who
has covered the investigation into Deafnie's murder and depth.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
I mean, he might have had, you know, some court records,
but he wasn't the type you know the name crops
up and is ah okay, he's that type of person.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
In contrast to men like Alfred de Bean or Chinese George,
for example, Melvin the Middleman flew more under the radar
with law enforcement, but his backstory and the spider web
of criminal loyalty and obligation he was caught up in
explains how he came to be involved in Deafnie's killing.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
So far, we know that Melvin Town basically was a
taxi driver. He used to be given sort of preferential
taxi stance treatment outside the Hilton Hotel in Saint Julian's
From what.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Has been reported, we also know that Melvin didn't grow
up in luxury or privilege. He certainly wasn't plugged into
Daphnese blog and the world it served.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
But that didn't mean that he wasn't a sevy operator
or fiercely intelligent. Melvin the Middleman is a native of
birger Khana, the same residential district in the center of
Malta where the lawyer Carmel Kirkopp was shot dead. We
know that his father died when he was just a teenager,
a tragedy which may have forced him to grow up
(11:45):
even faster. And if Amorial Famininism is a defining force
in Maltese culture, an ambitious teenager like Melvin might have
known he needed to look for somewhere and someone to
pledge his loyalty to agreements.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
What's coming on here?
Speaker 3 (12:11):
This is old video footage of the Motor Race Club.
It's the Club President's Cup Final nineteen ninety three, when
Melvin would have been a teenager. One of the nicer
legacies of British colonialism, apart from red phone boxes and
the liking for greasy breakfasts, the Empire also left as
a culture of horse racing.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I'm looking at grainy TV pictures of traps going around
in type formation. Each ride on a sort of chariot
behind his horse lower.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Those chariots are called three can light two wheeled cards
bearing a driver and his whip. For fans, these races matter.
A lot of money changes hands.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
In the footage. It looks like a close race on
that day in the nineteen ninety Some middle class martes
are snobbish about the sport. It's seen by them as
almost embarrassing, perhaps because, in contrast with its high society
British origins, horse racing and mortar has evolved into a
distinctly working class activity.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
As a young guy, Melvin the Middleman found his calling
at the races, working as a groom, running gurians, making connections,
and learning how the bookkeeping and gambling business works.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
That needs skills how to calculate odds, figure out payouts,
balance profit and loss. But also it needs the emotional
intelligence to understand the punters, the ability to tempt them
into another flutter, just one more bet, to recover their losses,
to persuade them to chase a win that is just
around the corner.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Absolutely, and Melvin seems to have been good at it.
Who was at home a deras trek, connected and trusted
By the time, Melvin the Middleman was a young man
who was running his own black market betting business, taking
bets in exchange for a commission, and allegedly, on at
least one occasion, offering loans to men who wanted to
(14:14):
keep gambling but had already spent all their money.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And of course those useful extra loans came with interest.
One of his first brushes with the low came from this.
When he was twenty five, the case was brought against
him for loan sharking, charging extortion's interest on money lent
for gambling. The court heard how he lent one punter
the equivalents of about eight two hundred dollars in today's money.
(14:40):
These loans were for betting on the master horse races.
The punter paid that all back a few days later,
plus an extra fifty percent his interest. Everything purely a
verbal agreement, but when the borrower wasn't able to pay
up on later loans, Melvin the Middleman allegedly became unhappy.
(15:03):
The court case records the complaints of frets made against
the borrower and his wife as they turned to other
loan sharks in order to pay him off. Melvin the
Middleman was acquitted of all charges. As he was acquitted,
it would be unfair to draw any conclusion right.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
At some point, it seems, Melvin the Middenman began to
think bigger, to look beyond the race track. He started
to operate a national black market lottery based on the
numbers from the official lottery, but with its own tickets
and its own prizes, and again he was good at it.
Press reports quote sources saying he was known for paying
up promptly when customers won. When he was eventually arrested
(15:46):
in connection with Daphanie's murder, police found the equivalent of
two point two million dollars in cash in his home. Still,
he always maintained his other official, legitimate business, driving a
cab with a stand at the luxury Hilton Hotel. And
this might be where the idea of loyalty, connections and
the godfather comes in again.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
If you want to run a successful black market gambling business,
eventually you will start to need connections, relationships with people
further up the food chain, those with real power, and
Melvin the middleman seems to have been astute here too.
In his early days at the racetrack, he starts running
errands for a powerful, rich family who also keep horses
(16:33):
at the track. At first, he takes bets for them
as part of his business. It's a natural way in
the men of the family already like gambling. Apparently, everyone
knows that the family patriarch has a lucky number at
Roulette seventeen.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Black Later, the relationship between him and this family grows
into something more personal and more subservient. He brings them
gifts of rabbits for their kitchen, a Maltese delicacy, and
drops off lows of bread for them to eat, making
himself useful and establishing that he deserves a place within
(17:12):
the circle of trust and loyalty under the rules of
amoral feminism. The family patriarch's son is close to Melvin
the Middleman in age, a young man who shares Melvin's
love of the racetrack, but comes from a different world
of wealth, luxury, and connections. Someone who is going places.
(17:36):
Melvin is reported to have thought that this young man,
not his equal, but also not quite his boss, knew.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Everyone, and this young man will grow up to become
our mister alleged mastermind. Melvin the middle Man will later
testify that when he needed help with something that required
government content, he would pass the request through his well
connected old friend. The man helps in other important ways too.
(18:07):
He's probably the one who arranges for Melvin to be
allowed to work the taxi stand outside the Hilton Hotel,
a lucrative spot.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
And it's not a one sided relationship for mister alleged Mastermind.
Melvin the Middleman is useful as well. We know that
at various times he acts as a personal chauffeur for
Alleged Mastermind, sometimes on deeply personal business. When the patriarch
of the family dies, it's Melvin who was trusted with
driving Alleged Mastermind to the funeral. At some point, it
(18:38):
seems Melvin the Middleman and mister Alleged Mastermind even go
on a gambling holiday together to France, with Alleged Mastermind
paying for everything. So this also seems to have been
a close trusting relationship. As amoral feminism demands, and Melvin
the Middleman Tuma might be useful to mister Alleged Mastermind
(18:59):
for an another reason. Melvin has connections to the underworld,
connections to men like the de Giorgio brothers, Connections that
his powerful friend might need.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
One day, in April twenty seventeen, Melvin the Middleman gets
a call from mister Alleged Mastermind is a request to
meet face to face to talk. Melvin doesn't hesitate. By
(19:33):
this time, the Labor government of Joseph Muscat has been
in power for four years. A general election has been
called early and is due in a few weeks. Daphne
is now one of the government's most outspoken and effective critics.
Her stories and government corruption are dominating politics. Prime Minister
Joseph Muscat even claims that he had to call the
(19:55):
elections to put to rest her accusations of wrongdoing. But
miss through alleged mastermind isn't calling a meeting to discuss politics.
He asked Melvin the Middleman to meet him outside a
Thai restaurant near the Hilton Hotel by the Marina.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
It was a restaurant by the name of Blue Elephant.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Jason Atza Pardi the lawyer for Dafinie family.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
And over there he spoke with Melvin Toma, asking him
how he could get in touch with a particular criminal,
one of Malta's foremost underworld criminals, because he needed to
get rid of someone.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
That someone is definite. According to court testimony given by
Melvin the Middleman, the request is as follows, do you
know Chinese George because I need him I want to
kill Dafnicia. There's no room for confusion. Melvin is being
(20:57):
recruited as the middleman in a conspiracy to commit murder and.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
For me, this is one of the most depressing moments
in the whole story. Melvin the Middleman's criminal activity, so
far as we know, is black market bookmaking, working the
dark side of gambling, maybe some loan sharking, all illegal,
but he's not a killer. But at that moment, by
(21:21):
the Blue Elephant is being asked to organize the murder
of an innocent woman. By any normal moral compass, it's
straightforwardly evil. It's also not even in his financial self interest.
There isn't a fee offered to him, and so Melvin
the Middleman does have an opportunity here. In theory, he
(21:43):
could do the right thing and back out.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
But that's not what it does. In fact, he's all in.
And to understand why, I think Definie's on analysis is useful.
Once again, however evil this plan is, and however risky
it is, for Melvin Dedman, under the rules of AMORL feminism,
the only ethical value that he must honor is loyalty.
(22:08):
Loyalty to the family and Melvin the Middleman's years of
history with the alleged Mastermind, the gifts, the favors, the
odd jobs, make alleged Mastermind's family Melvin's own. As Dephney said,
it's the family versus everybody and everything else. But once more,
(22:35):
this is just my take. What we do know is
that when Melvin the Middleman Toma is asked to help
kill Dephanie, he does not hesitate.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Melvin Toma got going and contacted the Georgios, and thereafter
a series of contacts starts until one fine day they
meet in a cafeteria in the small town of Incida,
where the details of the commissioning of the murder to
(23:05):
take place were given, the price requested, and subsequently Melvin Toma,
of course, each time going back to the Mastermind.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
The same cafe meeting by the key side that this
episode started with. In the weeks that follow that meeting,
Melvin's enabling role as middleman becomes crucial, varying information and
instructions between the assassins and his powerful friend. After the
busy Bee meeting, he relays the price that Alfred the
Bean has quoted one hundred and fifty thousand euros, and
(23:40):
mister alleged Mastermind signs off on it. It is Melvin
the Middleman who then informs the killers that preparations for
the murder can begin. Later, it is Melvin the Middleman
who is tasked with ordering the murder team to move faster.
Mister alleged Mastermind specifically tells him to pass on a
(24:01):
chilling message, hurry up and kill her.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Throughout, Melvin the Middleman is providing a crucial service, a
layer of insulation and distance between mister alleged Mastermind and
the actual killers who will murder Dafny. Thanks to Melvin
the Middleman, Daphnee killers do not know who they are
ultimately working for.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Soon after the killing is agreed and the preparations have begun,
he gets a call from mister alleged Mastermind, who says
that someone is about to get in touch an important official.
When he asks what the call will be about, mister
alleged Mastermind declines to discuss it on the phone. Soon after,
the official from the government does call him. It's Sandro Kraus,
(24:53):
the mayor of the town of Rabbits and whose other
job is head of customer Care at the office of
the Prime Minister, a powerful man at the center of government,
close to the leadership of the whole country, and mister
Kraus invites Melvin for a personal appointment at Castile Moult's
central government offices. Melvin the middleman isn't the kind of
(25:17):
guy who's comfortable in fancy government officers. On the day
of the appointment, he calls mister alleged Mastermind for advice
on which door to enter by. When he does figure
that out, there's another surprise. He's met on the steps
by an even more important man, Keith Skembrie, the Prime
(25:37):
Minister's chief of staff.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
He's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's right hand man. They even
went to school together. It was Skembury who managed the
election campaign that first got Joseph Mouscat elected in twenty thirteen,
and as the Prime Minister's chief of staff, he's considered
by some to be the real power behind the throne
in Malta. Needless to say, definitely. Karina Galizia isn't a
(26:02):
fan of mister Scambrie. He's one of the politicians she
is most famous for attacking, along with the Prime Minister
and Crescardoona. Daphnely alleged that Schkembrie was at the heart
of some of the most important corruption scandals in the
country and was using his political power for a legal profit.
Scanbury denies it, but we will come to The evidence
(26:23):
definitely found for that later in this podcast, but for now,
it's enough to know Keith sch Caambrie is one of
the most powerful politicians in the country.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
He's understandably amazed to be greeted by mister Skembrey himself.
In fact, Melvin the Middleman seems to be an honored
guest for some reason. Keith Schambrie, who's made time to
give Melvin a Middleman, a black market bookie, a personal
tour of his office. He also offers Melvin a coffee.
(26:55):
Melvin has the presence of mind to get a photo
of them together himself and mister Skembury arms around each
other's shoulders in the office of the Chief of Staff
of the Prime Minister of Malta.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Years later, this will become one of the most famous
photos in Malta.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Soon after, Melvin the Middleman gets another invitation to a
government building, where another surprise waits for him. Without warning,
he finds he's in a job interview. It lasts a
few minutes, and he's then informed that he's now a
public employee, a government driver. He will receive a regular
salary of around one thousand dollars a month, Melvin the
(27:35):
Middleman is so confused. He tries to argue, pointing out
that he doesn't need another job, as he's already got
his taxi business. But he's missing the point. This is
a special kind of government job, one way you get
sent a check each month, but you aren't expected to
turn up or do anything else.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
It appears that alleged mastermind is even better connected with
politicians than Melvin the Middleman realized.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
So you can still understand some of why Melvin might
be surprised by all of this. If you're involved in
planning a murder, it seems obvious that you would try
and keep things as to screech and quiet as possible
as few people involved as you can. But instead, Melvin
the Middleman is being invited to photo opportunities and guided
(28:28):
tools with politicians, and now because of his fake government job,
there is a financial paper trail involving him as well.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Not very discreeched exactly, and this set of meetings in
government offices does turn note to be catastrophic for everyone involved,
no matter whether any of the officials and politicians actually
know about the rest of the murder plot. Years later,
in twenty twenty two, Keach Cambrie, Sandro Craus, mister alleged Mastermind,
(28:58):
and two other men will be entitled criminal charges of
theft and misappropriation for their role in providing Melvin the
Middleman Tuma with this imaginary job. They have all denied
the charges and the case is ongoing. So yes, it
is difficult to understand the motivation for creating this false job.
(29:18):
It seems more than indiscrete. It's a needless risk. But
I think there's a twisted logic to it within the
rules of corrupt power, politics and patronage, within amoral feminism.
Here's the logic. For a boss like mister relegit Mastermind
to retain his power, he needs to demonstrate it, to
flex his muscles, the opposite of being discrete. So as
(29:41):
I read it, the meetings at Castile are a performance,
a demonstration to impress and reassure Melvin the Middleman. Look
at the strings I can pull. Look how far above
the law I am. Look who my own godfather is.
Trust me and follow my lead and never cross possibly.
But all this is just my interpretation of why this happened.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
A few months later, Melvin the Middleman completes his mission
definitely is murdered, but this isn't the end of the assignment.
He continues his crucial work as middleman. He returns to
the busybe Cafe to pass only a greed payment in
cash to the assassins, and he continues to provide a
communication channel between them and mister alleged mastermind.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
After the murder, Melvin de middleman Toma begins to get nervous.
Like everyone else. He's watching the growing protests of Verdephnie's death,
the demonstrations by women's groups and human rights organizations at
the Great Siege Monument that we heard about last episode.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
Belvin Toma who never anticipated the uproar, this tsunami of reactions,
the civil society protests.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
He never expected not to know in their wildest dreams.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
The tsunami of reactions is coming from the other Malta,
the world of the mainly middle class of English speaking,
certainly English reading Malta, the Malta of Deafney supporters.
Speaker 6 (31:28):
This was all, let's say, on chartered territory for them.
They never anticipated it would. And there was a moment
where literally month after month, various countries around the world,
as far as far away as Japan and the USA
recognizing the sterling work of definite Carna Galicia, and that
(31:50):
is something that instilled fear, the fear of being caught.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
But it turns out that mister Relligit Mastermind does have
one very important weapon to defend himself and everyone else
involved in Daphne's murder, access to information. The police investigation
into Daphne's death is supposed to be the most secure
and tightly monitored operation and more as recent history. And
(32:16):
yet somehow did the Georgias and Vince de Koff knew
that trade on their Potecto Schad was coming.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
How Throughout the investigation, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is given
regular confidential briefings with police investigators to hear the progress
they are making in solving the case. These briefings include
every breakthrough that the investigators make, an information about who
is on their list of suspects. One of the senior
(32:44):
police officers each briefing is Deputy Police Commissioner Sylvia of
the Letter. Unluckily for the killers, it just so happens
the Deputy Police Commissioner Sylvia the Letter is a close
personal friend of mister alleged Mastermind and According to later
court testimony by Melvin the Middleman, mister alleged Mastermind repeatedly
(33:08):
received confidential information about the investigation into Daphne's murder from
Sylvio the Letter. Sylvio the Letter denies any wrongdoing.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
That's not all. It turns out that the Prime Minister,
Joseph Mouscat himself also knows mister alleged master Mindwald. Melvin
the Middleman later said that he was given to understand
they were very close friends. The two of them also
message each other regularly through WhatsApp, with hundreds of messages
sent over several years. At some point, a private WhatsApp
(33:45):
group is even created. The only members are the Prime Minister,
mister Alleged Mastermind, and Keach Cambrie. In the group, they
bent the about food and women, never anything too political, or,
as far as we can tell, anything openly connected to
Daphne's But it's another sign of how the rules of
amoral feminism who you know and who you are loyal
(34:06):
to appear to be working in mister Alleged master Mind's favor.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And Keith Schambrie, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, is
relevant for another reason. He's another of the people regularly
present at the confidential security briefings on Daphne's murder, even
though his job has no direct relation to law enforcement.
Keith Schambrie has denied leaking this information.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
In other words, the investigation into Daphne's death is deeply
compromised from day one. All the painstaking early investigative work
by the FBI, the project to correct the killers as
a mess messages, triangulate their positions, and gather daming phone evidence,
all of that is leaked to the criminals.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
This is how the assassins are so well prepared when
their hideout is hit with the dawn swat raid. This
is the real answer when the interrogating officer asked Chinese George,
how did you know we were coming?
Speaker 3 (35:08):
George?
Speaker 2 (35:09):
They knew the police were coming because this is Malta
and their intelligence was better than that of the police.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Secretly taped recordings revealed mister Eligit mastermind, telling Melvin that
he should relax more to remember they are now in control.
It's simple, he says.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
He told him, don't worry.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
As long as we have the money, they can kiss
our balls quote unquote in vernacular molt ease.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
That was the mindset.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
Once I have the money, once I'm so rich, I
am untouchabile.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
We do have one other insight into the special moral
compass of Melvin the Middleman. Years later, when he was
testifying about his role in the murder Jason as a
party cross examined him as a party asked him in court.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Didn't you realize?
Speaker 6 (36:07):
Didn't you ever think you are going to kill a woman,
a mother, a wife.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
A daughter, a sister.
Speaker 6 (36:22):
Okay, she was a human being, and Melvin Toma went silent.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
You could hear a pin drop in the courtroom.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
He broke down, crying, admitting that it was the first
time that moment someone had made him see the cruelty,
the inhumanity of what he had done.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
But that crisis of conscience is still a long way off.
Back in early twenty eighteen, in the first few months
of the Daphne's death and the protests and the Swat
raid and the arrests of the assassins, Melvin the Middleman
begins to be consumed by fear that he might not
(37:19):
be as safe as he taught. That's next. Crooks Everywhere
is a production of iHeart Podcasts, Topic Studios and Vespucci
It's reported and hosted by me Manuel Delilla and John Sweeney.
(37:42):
The senior producer is Leo Hornack. The producer is Maddie
Hickish krish Denesh Kumar is the assistant producer. The story
editors are Emma Federill, Matt Willis and Philippa Geering. The
managing producers are Thomas Curry and Rachel Byrne. The voice
of Dafne Karwana Galizia is played by Ciena Miller, acting
(38:03):
direction by Christopher Houghten Maltese voices by Mikhail basma Jan
and Pierre Staffraj. The executive producers are Johnny Galvin and
Daniel Turken at Vespucci, Christi Gressman at Topic Studios, Katriina
Norvel and Nikki Etoor at iHeart Podcasts, and Cienna Miller.
Marketing leader is David Wassman. Audio recording by Tom Berry
(38:26):
at Wardoor Studios. Audio mix and sound design by Joel Cox.
Special thanks to Andrew Botchcardona, Alessandra di Crespo, Eddie Isles,
and Andrew Krwana Galizia
I can't explain Maltese culture. This is not a democratic place.
There is no democratic spirit. People think only in terms
of surviving and keeping the Hakem the Master off their backs.
We have moved from a good house built on solid
rock foundations to a skyscraper built on sand.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
It's April twenty seventeen, six months before Daphnese murder, a
pleasant warm day on the Key Side in Imcida, a
harbor town just next to Malta's capital of the letter.
Speaker 3 (00:41):
This is a place built for relaxation and luxury. The
water is filled with beautiful and expensive yachts popping gently
in this well. Right now is just before noon, and
a few pedestrians about are mostly middle aged joggers or
restaurant workers on a smoke break. But one man is
here on Celia's business. Mister Middleman, Melvin Toma has an
(01:04):
appointment as definitely would say he's keen to keep the
Hearkem the Master off his back. From iHeart Podcasts, Topic
Studios and Vespucci. I'm Manuel Delia and I'm John Sweeney
and this is Crooks Everywhere, Episode five. The middle Man.
(01:33):
The agreement is to meet here at the Busybe Cafe,
a much loved place that's been around for decades.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And the inside of the busy Bee is also typical
of an old Maltese seafront cafe. Small, with the tables
close together, may be not ideal for the kind of
private conversation that Melvin the Middleman needs to have today.
Even so, it's too late for him to back out now,
even if he were.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
Considering it and waiting for Melvin. At a table at
the back end of the busy Bee is a lanky
man in his fifties, thinning hair, nursing a soft drink,
Alfred de Bean de Georgio, the brother of Chinese George
de Georgio.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
The following is once again a reconstruction of events described
in court room testimony by one of those present. We've
dramatized the evidence and provided color in places without changing
any of the material facts or allegations.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
On this day, Alfred de Bean has already been sitting
here for a few minutes. Around the corner, the third
member of the team, Vincent de kof Moscat, is waiting
in a car acting as chauffeur. Melvin the Middleman leans
across the table and they shake hands wherey small talk follows.
(02:51):
If Malta's a small place where everyone knows everyone, the
world of Maltese organized crime is even smaller. Both men
know that if you cross someone, it's not hard for
them to find you. And these two men already go
back years. They aren't close, but Melvin used to rent
out an apartment in the town of Mosta to the
Georgia Brothers. Dangerous men to have as tenants, maybe, but
(03:16):
also maybe useful connections to develop.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Especially if you might need someone to be dealt.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
With for a certain kind of job. In Malta. The
Georgia Brothers are believed to be the real professionals, so
much so that Melvin, the middleman, has already been told
to seek out the Brothers specifically for this particular task.
According to courtroom testimony, that task assassinating Malta's most famous journalist.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
Pully Cavelli.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Espresso please thank you coffee is ordered and the real
discussion begins Mada.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
As middleman, Melvin is acting on behalf of this boss,
one of the most powerful men in malt We will
call him mister alleged Mastermind, and we are calling him
that because he's been indicted for arranging Daphne's murder, but
is currently awaiting trial. It seems that mister alleged Mastermind
(04:17):
has been finding Daphne's writing extremely inconvenient recently, and he's
concerned about what she might publish next. According to secretly
tape recordings heard in court, he is particularly concerned about
what she might publish about corruption and government links to business.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
So, according to Melvin, mister alleged Mastermind asked him to
get in touch with the the Georgia Brothers to resolve
the situation. As a first step, Melvin the Middleman has
already paid a visit to the Potato Shack, the warehouse
that the Jorjo Brothers and Vincent de Koff use as
an office. On that visit, Melvin let it be known
(04:57):
that someone was willing to pay to have Dafne permanently
a eliminated that Georgios signaled their possible interest and suggested
a further meeting here at the busy Bee.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
And now Alfred the Bean is ready to talk in
more detail.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
The Bean explains that the task is possible, but only
for the right price. Melvin signals that he expected this.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Alfred the Bean doesn't know who Melvin the middle Man
is working for, and naturally he doesn't ask. Also, he
doesn't fully appreciate who daphnely is, her influence in importance
in Maltes's politics, or the international impact her death will
have on their cottage industry of killing people on the island.
(05:43):
In fact, crucially neither of them do.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
Both Alfred de Bean and Melvin the Middleman sit on
one side of Malta's deep cultural divide, part of the
mainly Maulti speaking working class world where English language political
blogs are not a big concerned. Although did the Georgis
have connections to politicians like Chris Cardona, they do not
appear to follow politics too closely. But even so, a
(06:09):
contract on someone outside the criminal underworld must be a
major undertaking. It can't come cheap, As the Bean explains,
the Bean is blunt. The price of Daphne's life will
be miasenev one hundred and fifty thousand euros about one
hundred sixty thousand dollars Chinese.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
George will later claim that it was easy for him
and his brother to settle on these numbers. They simply
reuse the figures they had given the last time. Someone
had asked them to kill Daphne. That earlier murder plot
had fizzled out before an attempt could be made on
her lifetor.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Multice for I'll check with someone, and with that, Melvin
the Middleman makes it clear he understands the terms of
the deal. He finishes his and thanks Alfred de Bean
for his time. When the response from his boss comes,
Daphne's death warrant will have been signed.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
So how do you become a middleman and a murder plot?
Why would you involve yourself in a crime on behalf
of someone else when you don't even really know who
the victim is or stand to benefit from their death?
What's in it the Melvin the Middleman.
Speaker 3 (07:40):
So far as we can tell, he never asked for
any payment for his work enabling the plot, although he
did receive some reward. Definitely never wrote about the De
Georgia brothers or Melvin the Middleman specifically, but she did
write a lot about the culture that lets organized crime
and corruption thrive in Malta, the kind of networks and
relationships that also underpinned the plot to kill her.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
January twenty ninth, twenty fifteen. The fabric of Maltese society
is your typical Southern Mediterranean situation in which it's the
family versus everybody and everything else.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
And this was a recurring theme for Deafnie, that Malta
is not a society of laws and moral rules, but
instead the culture of networks of power and loyalty.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
There is no concept of society and hence absolutely no
civic sense. Maltese people do not care about each other.
They care about themselves first and foremost, and their immediate
family a close second.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
And how does loyalty to family get us through a
murder plot?
Speaker 3 (08:44):
Definitely wrote about that too. For her, Maltese culture was
based on what you called a moral feminism. It's a
slightly academic term, but then that was sometimes Deafhnie's style.
A moral feminalism has its own answer to the question
what's the right thing to do. It's not what's best
for everyone, or even what's best for most people. Right
(09:05):
or wrong, is about what's best for my family, because
if it's good for my family, I'm likely to be
better off as well.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
March twenty fifth, twenty thirteen. Those who wish to understand
how Maltese society functions have no choice, but to read
up on a moral famiism. A moral famialism is the
reason people in Malta use their vote as currency and
do not think in terms of the common good or
choosing the right government, but in terms of s fighting
slash rewarding getting slash preventing others from getting. It is
(09:38):
not a trend, but the ancient roots of Maltese society,
not even money or EU membership, have been able to
eradicate it. This is where you have the split between
the two Maltas.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
The two Maltas. That's Snaphanie's name for the cultural divide
between a predominantly English speaking, more middle class group and
the more working class Maltese speaking wider population.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
Amorral feminism can also mean that if you are a
person without power or connections, you will need a godfather
to get ahead, someone more powerful than you who can
help you climb the leader, someone to act as family.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Melvin Tooma wasn't an known person before all this came
to light.
Speaker 3 (10:21):
Kert Sansne is executive editor of Monta Today, one of
the main English language newspapers in Malta, and someone who
has covered the investigation into Deafnie's murder and depth.
Speaker 5 (10:31):
I mean, he might have had, you know, some court records,
but he wasn't the type you know the name crops
up and is ah okay, he's that type of person.
Speaker 3 (10:43):
In contrast to men like Alfred de Bean or Chinese George,
for example, Melvin the Middleman flew more under the radar
with law enforcement, but his backstory and the spider web
of criminal loyalty and obligation he was caught up in
explains how he came to be involved in Deafnie's killing.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
So far, we know that Melvin Town basically was a
taxi driver. He used to be given sort of preferential
taxi stance treatment outside the Hilton Hotel in Saint Julian's
From what.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Has been reported, we also know that Melvin didn't grow
up in luxury or privilege. He certainly wasn't plugged into
Daphnese blog and the world it served.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
But that didn't mean that he wasn't a sevy operator
or fiercely intelligent. Melvin the Middleman is a native of
birger Khana, the same residential district in the center of
Malta where the lawyer Carmel Kirkopp was shot dead. We
know that his father died when he was just a teenager,
a tragedy which may have forced him to grow up
(11:45):
even faster. And if Amorial Famininism is a defining force
in Maltese culture, an ambitious teenager like Melvin might have
known he needed to look for somewhere and someone to
pledge his loyalty to agreements.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
What's coming on here?
Speaker 3 (12:11):
This is old video footage of the Motor Race Club.
It's the Club President's Cup Final nineteen ninety three, when
Melvin would have been a teenager. One of the nicer
legacies of British colonialism, apart from red phone boxes and
the liking for greasy breakfasts, the Empire also left as
a culture of horse racing.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
I'm looking at grainy TV pictures of traps going around
in type formation. Each ride on a sort of chariot
behind his horse lower.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Those chariots are called three can light two wheeled cards
bearing a driver and his whip. For fans, these races matter.
A lot of money changes hands.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
In the footage. It looks like a close race on
that day in the nineteen ninety Some middle class martes
are snobbish about the sport. It's seen by them as
almost embarrassing, perhaps because, in contrast with its high society
British origins, horse racing and mortar has evolved into a
distinctly working class activity.
Speaker 3 (13:22):
As a young guy, Melvin the Middleman found his calling
at the races, working as a groom, running gurians, making connections,
and learning how the bookkeeping and gambling business works.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
That needs skills how to calculate odds, figure out payouts,
balance profit and loss. But also it needs the emotional
intelligence to understand the punters, the ability to tempt them
into another flutter, just one more bet, to recover their losses,
to persuade them to chase a win that is just
around the corner.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Absolutely, and Melvin seems to have been good at it.
Who was at home a deras trek, connected and trusted
By the time, Melvin the Middleman was a young man
who was running his own black market betting business, taking
bets in exchange for a commission, and allegedly, on at
least one occasion, offering loans to men who wanted to
(14:14):
keep gambling but had already spent all their money.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
And of course those useful extra loans came with interest.
One of his first brushes with the low came from this.
When he was twenty five, the case was brought against
him for loan sharking, charging extortion's interest on money lent
for gambling. The court heard how he lent one punter
the equivalents of about eight two hundred dollars in today's money.
(14:40):
These loans were for betting on the master horse races.
The punter paid that all back a few days later,
plus an extra fifty percent his interest. Everything purely a
verbal agreement, but when the borrower wasn't able to pay
up on later loans, Melvin the Middleman allegedly became unhappy.
(15:03):
The court case records the complaints of frets made against
the borrower and his wife as they turned to other
loan sharks in order to pay him off. Melvin the
Middleman was acquitted of all charges. As he was acquitted,
it would be unfair to draw any conclusion right.
Speaker 3 (15:24):
At some point, it seems, Melvin the Middenman began to
think bigger, to look beyond the race track. He started
to operate a national black market lottery based on the
numbers from the official lottery, but with its own tickets
and its own prizes, and again he was good at it.
Press reports quote sources saying he was known for paying
up promptly when customers won. When he was eventually arrested
(15:46):
in connection with Daphanie's murder, police found the equivalent of
two point two million dollars in cash in his home. Still,
he always maintained his other official, legitimate business, driving a
cab with a stand at the luxury Hilton Hotel. And
this might be where the idea of loyalty, connections and
the godfather comes in again.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
If you want to run a successful black market gambling business,
eventually you will start to need connections, relationships with people
further up the food chain, those with real power, and
Melvin the middleman seems to have been astute here too.
In his early days at the racetrack, he starts running
errands for a powerful, rich family who also keep horses
(16:33):
at the track. At first, he takes bets for them
as part of his business. It's a natural way in
the men of the family already like gambling. Apparently, everyone
knows that the family patriarch has a lucky number at
Roulette seventeen.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Black Later, the relationship between him and this family grows
into something more personal and more subservient. He brings them
gifts of rabbits for their kitchen, a Maltese delicacy, and
drops off lows of bread for them to eat, making
himself useful and establishing that he deserves a place within
(17:12):
the circle of trust and loyalty under the rules of
amoral feminism. The family patriarch's son is close to Melvin
the Middleman in age, a young man who shares Melvin's
love of the racetrack, but comes from a different world
of wealth, luxury, and connections. Someone who is going places.
(17:36):
Melvin is reported to have thought that this young man,
not his equal, but also not quite his boss, knew.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
Everyone, and this young man will grow up to become
our mister alleged mastermind. Melvin the middle Man will later
testify that when he needed help with something that required
government content, he would pass the request through his well
connected old friend. The man helps in other important ways too.
(18:07):
He's probably the one who arranges for Melvin to be
allowed to work the taxi stand outside the Hilton Hotel,
a lucrative spot.
Speaker 3 (18:15):
And it's not a one sided relationship for mister alleged Mastermind.
Melvin the Middleman is useful as well. We know that
at various times he acts as a personal chauffeur for
Alleged Mastermind, sometimes on deeply personal business. When the patriarch
of the family dies, it's Melvin who was trusted with
driving Alleged Mastermind to the funeral. At some point, it
(18:38):
seems Melvin the Middleman and mister Alleged Mastermind even go
on a gambling holiday together to France, with Alleged Mastermind
paying for everything. So this also seems to have been
a close trusting relationship. As amoral feminism demands, and Melvin
the Middleman Tuma might be useful to mister Alleged Mastermind
(18:59):
for an another reason. Melvin has connections to the underworld,
connections to men like the de Giorgio brothers, Connections that
his powerful friend might need.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
One day, in April twenty seventeen, Melvin the Middleman gets
a call from mister Alleged Mastermind is a request to
meet face to face to talk. Melvin doesn't hesitate. By
(19:33):
this time, the Labor government of Joseph Muscat has been
in power for four years. A general election has been
called early and is due in a few weeks. Daphne
is now one of the government's most outspoken and effective critics.
Her stories and government corruption are dominating politics. Prime Minister
Joseph Muscat even claims that he had to call the
(19:55):
elections to put to rest her accusations of wrongdoing. But
miss through alleged mastermind isn't calling a meeting to discuss politics.
He asked Melvin the Middleman to meet him outside a
Thai restaurant near the Hilton Hotel by the Marina.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
It was a restaurant by the name of Blue Elephant.
Speaker 3 (20:15):
Jason Atza Pardi the lawyer for Dafinie family.
Speaker 6 (20:18):
And over there he spoke with Melvin Toma, asking him
how he could get in touch with a particular criminal,
one of Malta's foremost underworld criminals, because he needed to
get rid of someone.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
That someone is definite. According to court testimony given by
Melvin the Middleman, the request is as follows, do you
know Chinese George because I need him I want to
kill Dafnicia. There's no room for confusion. Melvin is being
(20:57):
recruited as the middleman in a conspiracy to commit murder and.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
For me, this is one of the most depressing moments
in the whole story. Melvin the Middleman's criminal activity, so
far as we know, is black market bookmaking, working the
dark side of gambling, maybe some loan sharking, all illegal,
but he's not a killer. But at that moment, by
(21:21):
the Blue Elephant is being asked to organize the murder
of an innocent woman. By any normal moral compass, it's
straightforwardly evil. It's also not even in his financial self interest.
There isn't a fee offered to him, and so Melvin
the Middleman does have an opportunity here. In theory, he
(21:43):
could do the right thing and back out.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
But that's not what it does. In fact, he's all in.
And to understand why, I think Definie's on analysis is useful.
Once again, however evil this plan is, and however risky
it is, for Melvin Dedman, under the rules of AMORL feminism,
the only ethical value that he must honor is loyalty.
(22:08):
Loyalty to the family and Melvin the Middleman's years of
history with the alleged Mastermind, the gifts, the favors, the
odd jobs, make alleged Mastermind's family Melvin's own. As Dephney said,
it's the family versus everybody and everything else. But once more,
(22:35):
this is just my take. What we do know is
that when Melvin the Middleman Toma is asked to help
kill Dephanie, he does not hesitate.
Speaker 6 (22:44):
Melvin Toma got going and contacted the Georgios, and thereafter
a series of contacts starts until one fine day they
meet in a cafeteria in the small town of Incida,
where the details of the commissioning of the murder to
(23:05):
take place were given, the price requested, and subsequently Melvin Toma,
of course, each time going back to the Mastermind.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
The same cafe meeting by the key side that this
episode started with. In the weeks that follow that meeting,
Melvin's enabling role as middleman becomes crucial, varying information and
instructions between the assassins and his powerful friend. After the
busy Bee meeting, he relays the price that Alfred the
Bean has quoted one hundred and fifty thousand euros, and
(23:40):
mister alleged Mastermind signs off on it. It is Melvin
the Middleman who then informs the killers that preparations for
the murder can begin. Later, it is Melvin the Middleman
who is tasked with ordering the murder team to move faster.
Mister alleged Mastermind specifically tells him to pass on a
(24:01):
chilling message, hurry up and kill her.
Speaker 3 (24:09):
Throughout, Melvin the Middleman is providing a crucial service, a
layer of insulation and distance between mister alleged Mastermind and
the actual killers who will murder Dafny. Thanks to Melvin
the Middleman, Daphnee killers do not know who they are
ultimately working for.
Speaker 2 (24:29):
Soon after the killing is agreed and the preparations have begun,
he gets a call from mister alleged Mastermind, who says
that someone is about to get in touch an important official.
When he asks what the call will be about, mister
alleged Mastermind declines to discuss it on the phone. Soon after,
the official from the government does call him. It's Sandro Kraus,
(24:53):
the mayor of the town of Rabbits and whose other
job is head of customer Care at the office of
the Prime Minister, a powerful man at the center of government,
close to the leadership of the whole country, and mister
Kraus invites Melvin for a personal appointment at Castile Moult's
central government offices. Melvin the middleman isn't the kind of
(25:17):
guy who's comfortable in fancy government officers. On the day
of the appointment, he calls mister alleged Mastermind for advice
on which door to enter by. When he does figure
that out, there's another surprise. He's met on the steps
by an even more important man, Keith Skembrie, the Prime
(25:37):
Minister's chief of staff.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
He's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's right hand man. They even
went to school together. It was Skembury who managed the
election campaign that first got Joseph Mouscat elected in twenty thirteen,
and as the Prime Minister's chief of staff, he's considered
by some to be the real power behind the throne
in Malta. Needless to say, definitely. Karina Galizia isn't a
(26:02):
fan of mister Scambrie. He's one of the politicians she
is most famous for attacking, along with the Prime Minister
and Crescardoona. Daphnely alleged that Schkembrie was at the heart
of some of the most important corruption scandals in the
country and was using his political power for a legal profit.
Scanbury denies it, but we will come to The evidence
(26:23):
definitely found for that later in this podcast, but for now,
it's enough to know Keith sch Caambrie is one of
the most powerful politicians in the country.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
He's understandably amazed to be greeted by mister Skembrey himself.
In fact, Melvin the Middleman seems to be an honored
guest for some reason. Keith Schambrie, who's made time to
give Melvin a Middleman, a black market bookie, a personal
tour of his office. He also offers Melvin a coffee.
(26:55):
Melvin has the presence of mind to get a photo
of them together himself and mister Skembury arms around each
other's shoulders in the office of the Chief of Staff
of the Prime Minister of Malta.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Years later, this will become one of the most famous
photos in Malta.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Soon after, Melvin the Middleman gets another invitation to a
government building, where another surprise waits for him. Without warning,
he finds he's in a job interview. It lasts a
few minutes, and he's then informed that he's now a
public employee, a government driver. He will receive a regular
salary of around one thousand dollars a month, Melvin the
(27:35):
Middleman is so confused. He tries to argue, pointing out
that he doesn't need another job, as he's already got
his taxi business. But he's missing the point. This is
a special kind of government job, one way you get
sent a check each month, but you aren't expected to
turn up or do anything else.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
It appears that alleged mastermind is even better connected with
politicians than Melvin the Middleman realized.
Speaker 2 (28:06):
So you can still understand some of why Melvin might
be surprised by all of this. If you're involved in
planning a murder, it seems obvious that you would try
and keep things as to screech and quiet as possible
as few people involved as you can. But instead, Melvin
the Middleman is being invited to photo opportunities and guided
(28:28):
tools with politicians, and now because of his fake government job,
there is a financial paper trail involving him as well.
Speaker 3 (28:36):
Not very discreeched exactly, and this set of meetings in
government offices does turn note to be catastrophic for everyone involved,
no matter whether any of the officials and politicians actually
know about the rest of the murder plot. Years later,
in twenty twenty two, Keach Cambrie, Sandro Craus, mister alleged Mastermind,
(28:58):
and two other men will be entitled criminal charges of
theft and misappropriation for their role in providing Melvin the
Middleman Tuma with this imaginary job. They have all denied
the charges and the case is ongoing. So yes, it
is difficult to understand the motivation for creating this false job.
(29:18):
It seems more than indiscrete. It's a needless risk. But
I think there's a twisted logic to it within the
rules of corrupt power, politics and patronage, within amoral feminism.
Here's the logic. For a boss like mister relegit Mastermind
to retain his power, he needs to demonstrate it, to
flex his muscles, the opposite of being discrete. So as
(29:41):
I read it, the meetings at Castile are a performance,
a demonstration to impress and reassure Melvin the Middleman. Look
at the strings I can pull. Look how far above
the law I am. Look who my own godfather is.
Trust me and follow my lead and never cross possibly.
But all this is just my interpretation of why this happened.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
A few months later, Melvin the Middleman completes his mission
definitely is murdered, but this isn't the end of the assignment.
He continues his crucial work as middleman. He returns to
the busybe Cafe to pass only a greed payment in
cash to the assassins, and he continues to provide a
communication channel between them and mister alleged mastermind.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
After the murder, Melvin de middleman Toma begins to get nervous.
Like everyone else. He's watching the growing protests of Verdephnie's death,
the demonstrations by women's groups and human rights organizations at
the Great Siege Monument that we heard about last episode.
Speaker 6 (31:01):
Belvin Toma who never anticipated the uproar, this tsunami of reactions,
the civil society protests.
Speaker 4 (31:11):
He never expected not to know in their wildest dreams.
Speaker 3 (31:15):
The tsunami of reactions is coming from the other Malta,
the world of the mainly middle class of English speaking,
certainly English reading Malta, the Malta of Deafney supporters.
Speaker 6 (31:28):
This was all, let's say, on chartered territory for them.
They never anticipated it would. And there was a moment
where literally month after month, various countries around the world,
as far as far away as Japan and the USA
recognizing the sterling work of definite Carna Galicia, and that
(31:50):
is something that instilled fear, the fear of being caught.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
But it turns out that mister Relligit Mastermind does have
one very important weapon to defend himself and everyone else
involved in Daphne's murder, access to information. The police investigation
into Daphne's death is supposed to be the most secure
and tightly monitored operation and more as recent history. And
(32:16):
yet somehow did the Georgias and Vince de Koff knew
that trade on their Potecto Schad was coming.
Speaker 2 (32:22):
How Throughout the investigation, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is given
regular confidential briefings with police investigators to hear the progress
they are making in solving the case. These briefings include
every breakthrough that the investigators make, an information about who
is on their list of suspects. One of the senior
(32:44):
police officers each briefing is Deputy Police Commissioner Sylvia of
the Letter. Unluckily for the killers, it just so happens
the Deputy Police Commissioner Sylvia the Letter is a close
personal friend of mister alleged Mastermind and According to later
court testimony by Melvin the Middleman, mister alleged Mastermind repeatedly
(33:08):
received confidential information about the investigation into Daphne's murder from
Sylvio the Letter. Sylvio the Letter denies any wrongdoing.
Speaker 3 (33:22):
That's not all. It turns out that the Prime Minister,
Joseph Mouscat himself also knows mister alleged master Mindwald. Melvin
the Middleman later said that he was given to understand
they were very close friends. The two of them also
message each other regularly through WhatsApp, with hundreds of messages
sent over several years. At some point, a private WhatsApp
(33:45):
group is even created. The only members are the Prime Minister,
mister Alleged Mastermind, and Keach Cambrie. In the group, they
bent the about food and women, never anything too political, or,
as far as we can tell, anything openly connected to
Daphne's But it's another sign of how the rules of
amoral feminism who you know and who you are loyal
(34:06):
to appear to be working in mister Alleged master Mind's favor.
Speaker 2 (34:10):
And Keith Schambrie, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, is
relevant for another reason. He's another of the people regularly
present at the confidential security briefings on Daphne's murder, even
though his job has no direct relation to law enforcement.
Keith Schambrie has denied leaking this information.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
In other words, the investigation into Daphne's death is deeply
compromised from day one. All the painstaking early investigative work
by the FBI, the project to correct the killers as
a mess messages, triangulate their positions, and gather daming phone evidence,
all of that is leaked to the criminals.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
This is how the assassins are so well prepared when
their hideout is hit with the dawn swat raid. This
is the real answer when the interrogating officer asked Chinese George,
how did you know we were coming?
Speaker 3 (35:08):
George?
Speaker 2 (35:09):
They knew the police were coming because this is Malta
and their intelligence was better than that of the police.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
Secretly taped recordings revealed mister Eligit mastermind, telling Melvin that
he should relax more to remember they are now in control.
It's simple, he says.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
He told him, don't worry.
Speaker 6 (35:33):
As long as we have the money, they can kiss
our balls quote unquote in vernacular molt ease.
Speaker 4 (35:42):
That was the mindset.
Speaker 6 (35:44):
Once I have the money, once I'm so rich, I
am untouchabile.
Speaker 2 (35:49):
We do have one other insight into the special moral
compass of Melvin the Middleman. Years later, when he was
testifying about his role in the murder Jason as a
party cross examined him as a party asked him in court.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
Didn't you realize?
Speaker 6 (36:07):
Didn't you ever think you are going to kill a woman,
a mother, a wife.
Speaker 4 (36:19):
A daughter, a sister.
Speaker 6 (36:22):
Okay, she was a human being, and Melvin Toma went silent.
Speaker 4 (36:29):
You could hear a pin drop in the courtroom.
Speaker 6 (36:31):
He broke down, crying, admitting that it was the first
time that moment someone had made him see the cruelty,
the inhumanity of what he had done.
Speaker 3 (36:57):
But that crisis of conscience is still a long way off.
Back in early twenty eighteen, in the first few months
of the Daphne's death and the protests and the Swat
raid and the arrests of the assassins, Melvin the Middleman
begins to be consumed by fear that he might not
(37:19):
be as safe as he taught. That's next. Crooks Everywhere
is a production of iHeart Podcasts, Topic Studios and Vespucci
It's reported and hosted by me Manuel Delilla and John Sweeney.
(37:42):
The senior producer is Leo Hornack. The producer is Maddie
Hickish krish Denesh Kumar is the assistant producer. The story
editors are Emma Federill, Matt Willis and Philippa Geering. The
managing producers are Thomas Curry and Rachel Byrne. The voice
of Dafne Karwana Galizia is played by Ciena Miller, acting
(38:03):
direction by Christopher Houghten Maltese voices by Mikhail basma Jan
and Pierre Staffraj. The executive producers are Johnny Galvin and
Daniel Turken at Vespucci, Christi Gressman at Topic Studios, Katriina
Norvel and Nikki Etoor at iHeart Podcasts, and Cienna Miller.
Marketing leader is David Wassman. Audio recording by Tom Berry
(38:26):
at Wardoor Studios. Audio mix and sound design by Joel Cox.
Special thanks to Andrew Botchcardona, Alessandra di Crespo, Eddie Isles,
and Andrew Krwana Galizia
Hosts And Creators
Manuel Delia
John Sweeney
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