ROME – A former top government aide in Malta who was investigated by a journalist later killed by a car bomb has been arraigned in a Maltese court on charges of money-laundering, fraud and corruption.
Keith Schembri, who was chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, entered a not-guilty plea to the charges, which stem from an investigation of alleged financial crimes going back years.
Schembri, for years one of Malta’s more politically influential figures, was denied bail and jailed after Saturday's arraignment.
Also arraigned were 10 other defendants. Maltese government officials on Sunday confirmed the development in the case, widely reported by Maltese media.