Malta: Threats to the independence of the public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia must stop
16 December marks 38 months since Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in Malta, yet barriers to justice remain as Maltese official continue to threaten the public inquiry set up to investigate the circumstances surrounding her murder
On Tuesday, 15 December, the Maltese Prime Minister, Robert Abela told members of the board presiding over the public inquiry that they must “shoulder the responsibility of its decisions and the consequences these bring” after the inquiry panel ruled to extend the inquiry’s deadline in line with its terms of reference. Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis reiterated this threat, stating in Parliament that “If the public inquiry is not completed, the rule of the jungle will take over.” This followed a decree made by the members of the board of inquiry the previous day, following testimony from former OPM Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri where they stated that the inquiry would continue past the 15 December deadline set unilaterally by the Prime Minister and that “they would not accept any undue pressure or interference curtailing their brief.”
A number of MFRR partners, alongside other press freedom, journalist and transparency organisations condemn these threats and call for the independence of the inquiry to be respected
