GUILTY Malta - Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, Journalist killed by car bomb, 16 Oct 2017

[Legally Bland]

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a prominent Maltese journalist and anti-corruption blogger. Her blog would regularly get in excess of 400,000 views per day in a country with a population of just under 500,000. At the time of her death she was facing 48 libel suits, but she carried on blogging undeterred.


This is her last blog post:

______________


PUBLISHED: OCTOBER 16, 2017 AT 2:35PM


That crook Schembri was in court today, pleading that he is not a crook


Former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil testified in court this morning, as did the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, that crook Keith Schembri, in the case he himself brought against Dr Busuttil for libel damages.


Mr Schembri is claiming that he is not corrupt, despite moving to set up a secret company in Panama along with favourite minister Konrad Mizzi and Mr Egrant just days after Labour won the general election in 2013, sheltering it in a top-secret trust in New Zealand, then hunting round the world for a shady bank that would take them as clients.


(In the end they solved the problem by setting up a shady bank in Malta, hiding in plain sight.)


His government salary is just peanuts to him, Mr Schembri said, because he has retained his companies and his shares and that is where he makes his money. But the way he is using his government influence to benefit his private business in Malta is entirely a separate corruption/trading in influence issue and is not an argument in his defence.


He also said that he was unable to reply to the corruption accusations in the past two years – but it hasn’t been two years – because of a “medical condition”. Would this be the medical condition that they claimed he didn’t have, when the Prime Minister’s chief of staff disappeared for months, I wondered why, found out, and then reported on it?


There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate.


That crook Schembri was in court today, pleading that he is not a crook - Daphne Caruana Galizia's Notebook | Running Commentary

 

[Legally Bland]

Mon 16 Oct 2017

The journalist who led the Panama Papers investigation into corruption in Malta was killed on Monday in a car bomb near her home.


Daphne Caruana Galizia died on Monday afternoon when her car, a Peugeot 108, was destroyed by a powerful explosive device which blew the vehicle into several pieces and threw the debris into a nearby field.


A blogger whose posts often attracted more readers than the combined circulation of the country’s newspapers, Caruana Galizia was recently described by the Politico website as a “one-woman WikiLeaks”. Her blogs were a thorn in the side of both the establishment and underworld figures that hold sway in Europe’s smallest member state.


Her most recent revelations pointed the finger at Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and two of his closest aides, connecting offshore companies linked to the three men with the sale of Maltese passports and payments from the government of Azerbaijan.


No group or individual has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.


[...]


The journalist posted her final blog on her Running Commentary website at 2.35pm on Monday, and the explosion, which occurred near her home, was reported to police just after 3pm. Officers said her body had not yet been identified. According to sources, one of her sons heard the blast from their home and rushed out to the scene.


Caruana Galizia, who claimed to have no political affiliations, set her sights on a wide range of targets, from banks facilitating money laundering to links between Malta’s online gaming industry and the Mafia.


Over the last two years, her reporting had largely focused on revelations from the Panama Papers, a cache of 11.5m documents leaked from the internal database of the world’s fourth largest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca.

Malta car bomb kills Panama Papers journalist

 

[Legally Bland]

17 Oct 2019


The son of the murdered Maltese investigative journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia has described finding parts of his mother’s body around the blazing car in which she died and attacked the island as a “mafia state” run by “crooks”.


“My mother was assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it, like many strong journalists,” Matthew Caruana Galizia, who is also an investigative reporter, wrote in a moving and at times graphic Facebook post.


“But she was also targeted because she was the only person doing so. This is what happens when the institutions of the state are incapacitated: the last person left standing is often a journalist. Which makes her the first person left dead.”


Dutch forensic experts and a team from the FBI were due to arrive in Malta to help police in the EU’s smallest state investigate the killing of Caruana Galizia, who led the Panama Papers investigation into corruption on the island.


Murdered Panama Papers journalist’s son attacks Malta’s ‘crooks’

 

[Legally Bland]

Thu 19 Oct 2017

The marquee covers the remains of the Peugeot in which the brothers’ mother and Corinne’s sister, the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, was killed on Monday afternoon in an explosion so powerful that it blew the car, in pieces, into the field.

“I was sitting at the table there,” said Matthew, himself a Pulitzer prizewinning investigative journalist. “I heard the explosion; the windows rattled, the whole house vibrated. I knew she was dead before I got up from my chair.”

Daphne Caruana Galizia had made many enemies in the 30 years since she first began skewering alleged high-level corruption in Malta’s political, business and criminal elites – often, she would argue, one and the same, or at least closely connected – in print.

In recent years her hugely popular blog, Running Commentary, had attacked Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, his chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and Konrad Mizzi, the then energy minister, tying offshore companies allegedly linked to the three men to the controversial – and highly lucrative – sale of Maltese passports and large payments from the government of Azerbaijan.

But the targets of her cutting, sometimes savage posts covered the full spectrum of graft, cronyism, corruption and organised crime, taking in politicians (including from the opposition), banks aiding money laundering and tax evasion, online gaming firms infiltrated by the mafia and drug smugglers.

Much of her – and Matthew’s – work since last year had focused on revelations from the Panama Papers, a huge cache of leaked documents from the leading offshore law firm Mossack Fonseca. But long before then, her sons recall, she was being relentlessly harassed and intimidated.

“In 1996, the front door was set on fire,” says Andrew, who works now in the Maltese diplomatic service. “Around about that time, too, someone killed the dog – cut its throat and laid it across the doorstep. A few years later, the neighbour’s car burned out; his house has almost exactly the same name as ours.”



[...]

It is important, of course, that Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killer – or killers – are found. But in a way, says Matthew, “it’s almost irrelevant. So many people wanted her dead, so many benefit. People say, ‘I hope they find the bastards.’ But we know where the bastards are. They are in government. They’re on the TV. And they all, in part, bear responsibility.”



Daphne Caruana Galizia: We knew establishment was out to get her – family

 

[Legally Bland]

Sat 21 Oct 2017

Malta’s government has offered an “unprecedented” €1m (£890m) reward and full protection for anyone with information on who killed an investigative reporter with a car bomb.

A government statement, issued on Saturday, called the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, whose reporting on corruption targeted the Maltese prime minister and other senior political figures, a “case of extraordinary importance”.

The statement said that, in an “unprecedented measure”, the government was offering the sum to “whomever comes forward with information leading to the identification of those responsible” for the journalist’s death on 16 October.

“The government is fully committed to solving the murder” and to “bringing those responsible to justice”, it said.

Malta offers €1m for information on Daphne Caruana Galizia murder

 

[Legally Bland]

Mon 23 Oct 2017

Thousands of people flocked to a rally on Sunday to demand justice for murdered Maltese journalist and anti-corruption blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Crowds packed roads in the capital Valletta as the “national demonstration for justice” began in honour of the 53-year-old, killed in a car bombing on Monday.

Initial shock at the slaughter of a woman whose work investigated the murky corners of Maltese politics, rattling the government and opposition alike, has since given way to demands for a united front for justice.

Malta: thousands rally to demand justice for murdered journalist




Mon 4 Dec 2017


Ten arrested over murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

Police in Malta have arrested 10 suspects over the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the country’s prime minister has said, nearly two months after the anti-corruption journalist was killed by a powerful car bomb.

Joseph Muscat told a press conference that eight people – all Maltese nationals, most with criminal records – had been detained in early-morning raids in three different parts of the island. He tweeted later that two more suspects were also in custody.

Muscat said there was a “reasonable suspicion” the suspects were involved in the killing of Caruana Galizia, whose popular blog attacked high-level political corruption, shady business dealings and organised crime on the island.

The joint police and military operation was the first breakthrough for the Maltese investigation, which has been helped by experts from the FBI, Europol and the Finnish and Dutch security services. Police now have 48 hours to interrogate the suspects and either charge or release them.

Ten arrested over murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

 

[Legally Bland]

Tue 5 Dec 2017


Three charged in Malta with murder of Panama Papers journalist


Three Maltese men have been charged for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the investigative journalist who was killed by a car bomb last month.

The three suspects include two brothers, George and Alfred Degiorgio, and Vincent Muscat. The suspects were also charged with criminal use of explosives, being involved in organised crime, and criminal conspiracy.

All three pleaded not guilty to the charges at a hearing late on Tuesday.

They were were among ten people who were arrested in dawn raids on Monday morning in connection to the police’s investigation into the killing.


Three charged in Malta with murder of Panama Papers journalist



Tue 19 Dec 2017

Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: 'phone signal sent from sea set off bomb'

A court in Malta has heard that the powerful car bomb used to kill the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was detonated by a mobile phone signal sent from a boat off the island’s coast as part of a carefully planned operation lasting several months.

Police inspector Keith Arnaud told a pre-trial hearing that evidence against the three suspects, brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, all well-known to the police, centred mainly on telephone intercepts.

The three pleaded not guilty when they were charged earlier this month with the journalist’s murder as well as with the criminal use of explosives, involvement in organised crime, and criminal conspiracy.

Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: 'phone signal sent from sea set off bomb'

 

[Legally Bland]

Mon 16 Apr 2018


A warning to the corrupt: if you kill a journalist, another will take their place

You killed the messenger. But you won’t kill the message.

Over the past six months 45 journalists from 15 different countries have been working in secret to complete and publish investigations by the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed on 16 October 2017.

Cooperation is without a doubt the best protection. What is the point of killing a journalist if 10, 20 or 30 others are waiting to carry on their work? Whether you’re a dictator, the leader of a drug cartel or a corrupt businessman, exposure of your crimes is your biggest fear. Journalists are the enemy of the corrupt ecosystem that you have constructed. But what if this exposure becomes global, and the message amplified? Wherever you go, you will be questioned by the world’s press. Whatever you are trying to hide will be magnified.

A warning to the corrupt: if you kill a journalist, another will take their place | Laurent Richard



Tue 17 Apr 2018

Mastermind behind Maltese journalist's murder is being protected, says husband


Political interests blocking inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia killing, widower claims


The family of the murdered anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia believe that three men awaiting trial for the crime were acting on orders from inside Malta, and have expressed concern that elements within the government may be protecting whoever commissioned the killing.

In his first full interview since his wife’s death in a car bombing six months ago, Peter Caruana Galizia claimed political interests were blocking the police investigation and said he feared the mastermind might never be brought to justice.



“It is clear to us that the three men arraigned so far are simply contractors commissioned by a third party,” he said. “My sons and I are not convinced that our government really wants to establish who sent them, for fear such persons are in fact very close to our government. For this reason we may never know the truth.”

The accused men have all entered not guilty pleas. Police are still setting out their evidence before a magistrate, who will decide whether to dismiss the case or send the men for prosecution before a judge and jury.

Mastermind behind Maltese journalist's murder is being protected, says husband

 

[Legally Bland]

Letter from the Maltese Government denying any involvement:
_________________

Wed 25 Apr 2018

On 15 April you carried a letter from PEN International which made an allegation of the greatest gravity. This suggested that the blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia “was killed in direct response to her fearless investigative journalism exposing high-level government corruption in Malta”. Most would understand this as an unqualified allegation that this government had at least some hand in the organisation of the murder. This is false and grossly defamatory, unsupported by the known facts, as set out in the Guardian and elsewhere.

[...]

To suggest that her murder must be connected to her criticism of government is to wilfully ignore the nature of her work and its impact on large numbers of her targets. The government has pursued the investigation with the utmost rigour, assisted by the FBI and Europol. It has offered a €1m reward for information leading to her killers. Three individuals have been arrested and charged, and the investigation continues unabated, although hampered by the refusal to make her laptop available to the investigators.


Malta’s government had no hand in the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia | Letter

 

[Legally Bland]

Fri 27 Apr 2018

Europol warns of hurdles in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case

EU’s chief law enforcement body raises concerns about Maltese authorities’ cooperation in investigation of journalist’s killing

The investigation into the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia is “highly complex”, involves a number of EU member states and requires better cooperation by authorities in Malta, according to a new assessment by the EU’s chief law enforcement body.

Europol, which has offered its assistance in the investigation since Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb near her home last year, said in a letter to a top MEP that it was still working closely with Maltese authorities but there was “some room for improvement” in this cooperation.

Europol warns of hurdles in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case




Mon 28 May 2018


Caruana Galizia family 'at war with Malta' after journalist's murder

Paul Caruana Galizia says his father and brothers have not had chance to mourn the death of their mother, Daphne


The family of the murdered Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia have had little chance to mourn her death because of continuing intimidation, threats and lies, according to her son.

Paul Caruana Galizia, told the Hay literary festival in Wales that it felt like the family was at war with the state seven months after his mother was killed by a car bomb near her home.

Caruana Galizia worked for 30 years as an investigative journalist looking into high-level corruption cases.

At the time of her death, there were almost 50 lawsuits against Caruana Galizia, five of them criminal defamation cases. The remainder were civil libel suits. Some of these have been dropped but 34 remain against her estate.



Caruana Galizia family 'at war with Malta' after journalist's murder

 

[Legally Bland]

Wed 13 Jun 2018


Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: officials 'seeking to stall' inquiry


Top EU official flies to Malta as authorities accused of seeking to delay attempts to find those behind journalist’s killing



The EU’s top justice official is to fly to Malta this week to meet officers investigating the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia after a report accused the authorities of seeking to delay and stall attempts to find those who wanted the journalist dead.

Věra Jourová, the commissioner for justice, is to seek assurances and ask “difficult questions” about the criminal investigation, which has been criticised by members of the European parliament.

A report from MEPs, on an “ad hoc mission” led by the German MEP Sven Giegold, has highlighted a series of concerns about the investigation, warning that the hunt for the journalist’s killers appears to be in jeopardy. Caruana Galizia’s son, Matthew, tweeted on Wednesday in response to the findings: “This is outrageous.”

Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: officials 'seeking to stall' inquiry





Mon 5 Nov 2018

Malta's Pilatus Bank has European licence withdrawn

Bank had been accused by murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia of processing corrupt payments


A Maltese bank at the heart of a money-laundering investigation has had its licence withdrawn by the European Central Bank.

Pilatus Bank, which opened four years ago, was officially closed down several months after its Iranian chairman and owner, Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, was charged in the US in connection with money-laundering and fraud.

The bank had also been accused of processing corrupt payments to Maltese officials by the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed last year by a car bomb.

Malta's Pilatus Bank has European licence withdrawn

 

[Legally Bland]

Tue 16 Jul 2019


Three formally charged in Malta for murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia


Trial over anti-corruption journalist’s killing may not take place for years, say experts

Three men have been formally charged over the 2017 murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese anti-corruption journalist and blogger who was killed by a car bomb in November 2017.

Brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio, and Vincent Muscat, all in their fifties, were arrested in December of that year.

Three formally charged in Malta for murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia


Thu 19 Sep 2019

Malta urged to drop libel lawsuits against Daphne Caruana Galizia

Council of Europe warns cases transferred to late journalist’s family jeopardise sources

The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner has urged Malta to drop libel lawsuits against murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, according to a letter to the country’s leader.
In her letter, dated 12 September to the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, commissioner Dunja Mijatović said that when Caruana Galizia was killed in October 2017 by a car bomb the journalist was facing more than 40 civil and criminal defamation suits. After her death, some 30 were transferred to her family under a Maltese civil law that allows claimants to pursue actions against the heirs of a deceased defendant.

[...]

Muscat has insisted he will only drop his personal defamation cases if the journalist’s family “accepts the findings” of an inquiry that he claimed exonerated him. On Thursday he insisted the government “cannot interfere in, abolish or truncate civil actions”.

Malta urged to drop libel lawsuits against Daphne Caruana Galizia

 

[Legally Bland]

Wed 16 Oct 2019


Malta's police 'may have turned down evidence' in journalist's murder


European rapporteur raises concerns about alleged failings in Daphne Caruana Galizia case


A senior European monitor has raised serious concerns about the police investigation into the killing of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Speaking to the Guardian on the second anniversary of Caruana Galizia’s death, Pieter Omtzigt, a special rapporteur for the Council of Europe, listed a catalogue of alleged failings and said he was concerned the authorities may have turned down evidence that could lead to those who commissioned the killing.

“Individual officers may be doing their best, but the approach of the police force as a whole, and of the politicians responsible for it, does not match the prime minister’s promise to leave no stone unturned,” Omtzigt said.

Malta's police 'may have turned down evidence' in journalist's murder




Tue 19 Nov 2019


Daphne Caruana Galizia: suspected middleman set to name names

Alleged middleman offered pardon in return for sharing evidence on death of journalist


A suspected middleman in the murder of the prominent Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has been offered a presidential pardon in return for sharing potentially crucial evidence.

Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, confirmed what could be a major breakthrough in the hunt for those who ordered the killing in a statement on the steps of his office on Tuesday morning.

The individual has been identified in the Maltese press as Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver from Birkirkara who has previously been accused of involvement in loan sharking.

Daphne Caruana Galizia: suspected middleman set to name names

 

[Legally Bland]

Wed 20 Nov 2019


Police investigating Caruana Galizia murder arrest businessman on yacht

Maltese journalist was killed by car bomb on Mediterranean island in 2017

A prominent Maltese businessman has been arrested onboard his yacht as it was heading out to sea, in an operation linked to the murder of the Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Armed forces personnel boarded a vessel at about 5.30am on Wednesday and detained Yorgen Fenech.

The arrest came less than 24 hours after Malta’s prime minister offered immunity from prosecution to an alleged middleman in exchange for information about those who ordered the murder of the journalist two years ago.

One of the last investigations on which Caruana Galizia was working at the time of her death was a massive leak of data from Fenech’s business.

Police investigating Caruana Galizia murder arrest businessman on yacht




Fri 22 Nov 2019


Malta's PM urged to step back from case of murdered journalist

Two members of government linked to man arrested over Daphne Caruana Galizia killing


A senior European monitor is calling for Malta’s prime minister to distance himself from the investigation into the killing of the prominent investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia due to a potential conflict of interest.

Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has the power to grant immunity from prosecution to a key witness who may have vital evidence about those who commissioned Caruana Galizia’s assassination two years ago.

However, two current members of Muscat’s government have been linked to a businessman arrested on Wednesday in connection with the killing.

Malta's PM urged to step back from case of murdered journalist

 

[Legally Bland]

Tue 26 Nov 2019


Maltese PM's aide and minister quit amid turmoil over journalist's murder

Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi resign, as police continue inquiry into 2017 death of Daphne Caruana Galizia


The Maltese prime minister’s chief of staff and the country’s tourism minister have resigned in an escalation of the political turmoil surrounding the investigation into the murder of the prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017.

“Yesterday evening, my chief of staff informed me that from today he would be relinquishing his post,” the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, said at a brief press conference on the steps of his office on Tuesday morning.

Keith Schembri is understood to have been taken to police headquarters for questioning in relation to the case, and police were seen entering one of his properties on Tuesday. Schembri made no immediate comment.

Later on Tuesday, the tourism minister, Konrad Mizzi, announced his resignation after a cabinet meeting. Mizzi said he resigned “in light of political, extraordinary and general circumstances in the country”.

Maltese PM's aide and minister quit amid turmoil over journalist's murder




Tue 26 Nov 2019


Third Maltese minister quits amid fallout from journalist's murder
PM Joseph Muscat under pressure after arrests in relation to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killing


The future of Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, hangs in the balance after his chief of staff and two ministers stepped down in rapid succession amid controversy over the murder of the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The ministerial departures on Tuesday followed a series of arrests in the hunt for those behind the assassination of Caruana Galizia, a renowned investigative reporter who was killed by a car bomb near her home in October 2017.

The resignations of the chief of staff, Keith Schembri, and the tourism minister, Konrad Mizzi, were immediately followed by an announcement that the economy minister, Chris Cardona, was suspending himself. All three men have denied wrongdoing.

Third Maltese minister quits amid fallout from journalist's murder

 

[Legally Bland]

Wed 27 Nov 2019 12.50 GMT

Daphne Caruana Galizia: police arrest Maltese PM's former chief of staff
Keith Schembri, who resigned this week, is questioned over journalist’s murder

The Maltese prime minister’s chief of staff, who resigned this week, has been arrested and questioned over allegations that he was a co-conspirator in the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Keith Schembri, a businessman who has run the office of the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, since the Maltese Labour party came to power in 2013, was arrested on Tuesday, police sources confirmed.

Daphne Caruana Galizia: police arrest Maltese PM's former chief of staff




Thu 28 Nov 2019


Maltese PM's aide accused of being mastermind of Caruana Galizia killing

Businessman Yorgen Fenech is telling police Keith Schembri was behind murder, sources say

“The note you mentioned is a four-pager which I’ve been shown and which I have nothing to do with. I deny it all and I have said this in testimony and under oath,” he said.Police investigating the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia have questioned the prime minister’s closest aide over claims he was the mastermind behind the killing, according to sources close to the inquiry.

The allegations against Keith Schembri were made by a prominent businessman, Yorgen Fenech, who was arrested last week and is understood to be seeking legal immunity in return for his testimony.

Fenech has also alleged the men who planted the car bomb that killed the reporter were paid €130,000 (£111,000), according to sources familiar with the inquiry.

Maltese PM's aide accused of being mastermind of Caruana Galizia killing

 

[Legally Bland]

Thu 28 Nov 2019

New claims emerge about Daphne Caruana Galizia murder plan
Confession claimed original plan was to shoot Maltese journalist, Reuters reports


One of three men awaiting trial for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia claimed they originally planned to shoot the journalist through a window where she often sat while working at home, it has emerged.

Caruana Galizia died in October 2017 when a bomb planted in her car exploded as she drove away from her home in the village of Bidnija. She was 53.

The claims about how the killing was planned were revealed on Thursday by Reuters, which obtained information about the confession of Vincent Muscat, one of the three men accused of planting the bomb. The news agency received the information in April last year but held back from publication until now to protect the police inquiry.

New claims emerge about Daphne Caruana Galizia murder plan




Fri 29 Nov 2019


Malta's PM expected to quit in crisis over journalist's murder

Joseph Muscat faced increasing pressure over handling of Daphne Caruana Galizia case


Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has told associates he plans to resign imminently after the political and legal crisis stemming from the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia engulfed his government this week.

His decision follows the arrest and questioning of one of Muscat’s key allies by police investigating the 2017 murder of the prominent investigative journalist, who had exposed corruption at the highest levels of government and business circles in Malta.

After two years of stalled investigations into the murder, the authorities in the Mediterranean country have moved rapidly in recent days, with a series of arrests that have destabilised Muscat’s government. Earlier on Friday, following an unscheduled cabinet meeting that ran through the night, Muscat had vowed to stay in the job until the investigation was complete.

Malta's PM expected to quit in crisis over journalist's murder

 

[Legally Bland]

Fri 29 Nov 2019

How a dog called Peter sparked Malta's political crisis

The spaniel’s keen nose triggered a week of convulsions over the killing of a journalist


A week of arrests and resignations, of drama and fury unlike anything Malta has seen in generations, might not have happened but for the keen nose of a police sniffer dog called Peter.

On Wednesday 13 November, the spaniel was screening passengers when he alerted his handlers to the smell of cash. Lots of it.

Customs reportedly found €210,000 (£178,000) in the belongings of a man preparing to board a flight to Istanbul.

The economic crimes unit were called and a day later, the incident led to the arrest of a taxi driver, Melvin Theuma.

Under questioning by police, Theuma made the sensational claim that he had acted as intermediary in the contract killing of Malta’s best-known investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.

How a dog called Peter sparked Malta's political crisis




Sat 30 Nov 2019


Maltese businessman charged over murder of investigative journalist
Yorgen Fenech entered not guilty plea to charges relating to killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia


A businessman has been charged with the murder of Malta’s best known investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Local tycoon Yorgen Fenech, the 38-year-old head of a gambling and property empire, was arraigned on Saturday evening, and charged with participating in a criminal organisation, complicity in causing an explosion, and complicity in the murder of Caruana Galizia.

He has pleaded not guilty. Fenech has been held in custody and his assets have been frozen on request by the police. His lawyers did not request bail.



Maltese businessman charged over murder of investigative journalist

 

[Legally Bland]

Malta’s PM quits in crisis over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder


Joseph Muscat says he will stay on until January but journalist’s family calls for his immediate departure

Malta’s embattled prime minister Joseph Muscat has resigned, driven from office by the constitutional and political crisis triggered by the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a televised address broadcast on Sunday evening, Muscat announced that he would stay on until a new leader of his ruling Labour party was elected in January. The prime minister expressed “deep regret” for Caruana Galizia’s murder and spoke of the need for a “fresh page”.

But his tone remained defiant, as he said: “This case cannot define everything that our country is.”

Malta’s PM quits in crisis over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder

 

[ZaZara]

Josephine Cumbo on Twitter

Thousands of Maltese citizens hold candles and sing the national anthem at the conclusion of an emotional and angry rally in Valletta for murdered journalist #DaphneCaruanaGalizia

BBM

Video at link