A European Parliament delegation, which arrived in Malta for an urgent two-day fact-finding mission on Tuesday, urged Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign immediately to ensure the integrity of the inquiry into the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Gilizia, Sven Giegold, a member of the European Parliament from the German Green party, said on Thursday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2019) A European Parliament delegation, which arrived in Malta for an urgent two-day fact-finding mission on Tuesday, urged Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to resign immediately to ensure the integrity of the inquiry into the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Gilizia, Sven Giegold, a member of the European Parliament from the German Green party, said on Thursday.On Sunday, Muscat announced his resignation amid political turmoil in the wake of the investigation. The prime minister said he has instructed his ruling Labour Party to begin the process of electing a new leader to replace him on January 12. Though the delegation welcomed the progress in the murder inquiry, it stressed that the prime minister puts the investigation at risk as many of his associates were implicated in the Galizia murder case.
"The next 40 days will be crucial, also for trust in the integrity of the investigation," Giegold said, as quoted by The Guardian newspaper.
According to the lawmaker, Muscat was not convincing when he told the delegation that he would not be able to destroy evidence in the case. In addition, Giegold stated that the meeting with the prime minister was not friendly.
"This time it was totally different. He was on the defensive. He admitted misjudgment when it came to his chief of staff, Keith Schembri," the lawmaker stressed.
He also stressed that Malta's troubles went beyond the Caruana Galizia case. The main question, for now, is why there are "no prosecutions when it comes to corruption, money laundering, large cases of financial crime."
Caruana Galizia documented payments by Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech's company 17 Black to Maltese politicians eight months before her death. She was killed by a car bomb outside her Bidnija home in October 2017. The journalist was known for her investigations into various cases of corruption in Malta based on the so-called Panama papers, which revealed illegal finance practices of officials and public figures from various countries.
Last week, Fenech was charged with complicity in murder among other crimes after being arrested on November 20 while allegedly attempting to escape the country on his yacht. The political crisis also saw Muscat's former chief of staff, as well as two ministers, resign over alleged ties with Fenech. Keith Schembri resigned as Muscat's chief of staff shortly before being detained and questioned by police.
On Thursday, Fenech appeared in a Malta court to deny accusations of complicity in the murder and demand that the police chief leading the case be removed as he was close friend of Schembri, Muscat's close ally. His testimony piled further pressure on the prime minister.
