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Theuma had been alone in his family’s apartment at the time of the incident, Tuesday night.
A Maltese man who acted as an intermediary in the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has suffered serious knife wounds on the eve of a court hearing.
Police say Melvin Theuma’s wounds to his neck and abdomen were self-inflicted.
Caruana Galizia died in a bomb attack on his car in 2017.
Former taxi driver Melvin Theuma received a presidential pardon and immunity in exchange for his evidence.
The Maltese police commissioner said at a press conference on Wednesday that there were no signs of a burglary at his home and that the intermediary had told them that he had injured himself.
He had suffered injuries to his neck, wrist and ribs and was holding a knife when found in his room, Commissioner Angelo Gafa told reporters. He underwent surgery and is stable.
It appears that the incident occurred late Tuesday night while a 24-hour police guard was outside Melvin Theuma’s home, an apartment on the third floor.
Local reports said they entered when his wife returned home after her lawyer raised the alarm. The police commissioner said the police were originally stationed within his department, but had complained of an invasion of privacy.
The lead investigator on the case, Keith Arnaud, was among those present and spoke to the former taxi driver.
There was disbelief among some opposition figures in Malta that the incident could have occurred on the eve of a hearing at which Mr. Theuma was to present evidence.
The case has already brought down Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and now opposition politicians say the state has failed in its duty to protect the key witness.
Why Theuma is significant
His controversial pardon late last year came after he was arrested in a separate investigation against money laundering and then offered police information about the 2017 murder in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
It was his secret recordings and his testimony that brought businessman Yorgen Fenech to trial.
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The controversy surrounding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia brought down the Prime Minister late last year.
The trial, which continued on Wednesday, had heard from Mr. Theuma. Fenech denies complicity in the murder, as well as other charges. He was arrested aboard his luxury yacht when leaving Malta last November.
The confessed broker has already given evidence, saying the suspect paid him to hire three men accused of carrying out the attack. He has also said that he lives in fear of his life.
How Caruana Galizia was murdered
Two brothers and a friend were accused of blowing up the bomb that killed the anti-corruption blogger in her Peugeot 108 car near her home in October 2017.
When she died at age 53, she was considered one of the bravest journalists in Malta.
She had been reporting on allegations surrounding the Panama Papers, a large number of leaked documents in 2016.
The documents revealed that two of Joseph Muscat’s close associates were involved in secret offshore business. One was its chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and the other was a minister, Konrad Mizzi. There was no evidence of money exchange on hand.
