Anġlu Xuereb fights the stabbing e-mails of hate

Construction magnate Anġlu Xuereb believes police should have enough clues to trace the sender of anonymous SMS threats who accused him of “paying his way” to exonerate his daughter in the fatal New Year’s Day double stabbing.

This is blackmail. There is no doubt about it

“In the SMS he claims I made a huge mistake for underestimating technology. I think he is the one who underestimated it,” Mr Xuereb told The Sunday Times.

“I am disgusted that there are people like this who remain anonymous while trying to use the tragic case of my daughter against me. Only a filthy person could do these things.”

Mr Xuereb said his daughter wanted answers like everyone else about the New Year’s Eve tragedy when her husband was believed to have been stabbed to death by another man who entered the apartment and also ended up being killed.

The police have so far not managed to find the connection between the two men to solve one of the most mysterious crimes in recent history.

Mr Xuereb said the SMS threats exploited the fact that some sections of the media were unjustifiably raising questions about his and his daughter’s involvement in the stabbing.

He said he forwarded the text messages to police within an hour of receiving them because he knew he had nothing to hide.

“I don’t know who did it but I have my suspicions,” he said.

In somewhat-garbled text, the SMSs stated: “If you think that paying your way through the stabbing like you always paid your way for anything will set you and Claire free, forget it this time. You did not pay everyone and you made a huge mistake for underestimating technology to save Claire and yourself.”

After telling him to liquidate his construction companies and cancel all government contracts except the new parliament building, the sender warned that if he was ignored “all evidence” would be put on the internet.

Mr Xuereb said he barely had any other government contracts in the past 20 years, except for one involving Heritage Malta in which he was a bidder.

He said he was disqualified from the tendering process twice, for what he claims are petty and frivolous reasons.

“This is blackmail. There is no doubt about it... These things hurt. You try to be as clean as you can and people try to throw dirt at you.”

Mr Xuereb has gone to court to stop the tendering process, and he claims the messages are directly linked to it.

The tender is for the construction of a visitor centre and landscaping and restoration works at the St Paul’s Catacombs heritage park in Rabat worth some €2 million.

Mr Xuereb, as the lead partner in the consortium Fort Res Joint Venture Limited, submitted the cheapest offer. There was only one other bidder.

Both bidders were disqualified but Mr Xuereb decided to appeal against the decision through a €20,000 deposit.

The Appeals Board confirmed to the consortium that the disqualification had been illegal.

Mr Xuereb and his son Richard received the SMSs on February 9 and a month later a second letter was received from the Department of Contracts informing them they had been disqualified for a second time.

Questions sent to the police about the matter remained unanswered.