The public inquiry into the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia cannot be stopped. CDA MP Pieter Omtzigt writes this in a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela of Malta, which is also printed on the front page of all newspapers in Malta.
Omtzigt has been appointed as Special Rapporteur by the Council of Europe to investigate the murder and its aftermath. He encountered serious flaws in the Maltese rule of law.
Galizia arrived in October 2017 for life by a bomb attack on her car. The 53-year-old investigative journalist wrote a lot about corruption cases in Malta. She often pointed to politicians, including the then Prime Minister Muscat and some of his ministers.
‘Unnecessary delay’
“After a lot of hassle, a public investigation was started into the murder a year ago,” explains Omtzigt. “Ministers have also been called to testify, including Muscat. This causes many problems for the current prime minister, who is now trying to stop the investigation prematurely.”
Prime Minister Abela said the investigation will be halted in December if it is not completed due to “undue delay”. But according to Omtzigt, there is no undue delay and the prime minister also does not have the authority to determine the duration of the investigation.
Political influence
“It is not up to the prime minister of a government under investigation to determine the scope of that investigation or to question its accuracy,” Omtzigt wrote in the letter. According to the Special Rapporteur, if Abela stops the investigation, there will be political influence on a judicial process. “And that is very undesirable.”
Omtzigt hopes with the published letter to increase international pressure to complete the investigation. “And otherwise I will write in my final report that Abela has obstructed the investigation and that may have political consequences for him in Europe.” Abela’s predecessor Muscat resigned after protests in Malta and strong criticism from Omtzigt.
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