It is a late and sad realization. But at least it is now in black and white in a 437-page report. In Malta, a public committee of inquiry came to the conclusion that the Maltese state was partly responsible for the death of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia – and that it had failed. “Obviously it would have been necessary to protect Daphne Caruana Galizia, especially after the Panama Papers were published. But the police chief, the security services and other government agencies apparently did not understand this obviousness.”
Caruana Galizia was 53 years old when a remote-controlled bomb blew up her car on October 16, 2017 in Bidnija, killing her. She had just posted the last post on her popular Running Commentary blog. It was again about corruption in the government. “Daphne”, as they all called, was a constant thorn in the shoe of the mighty. She had attacked Keith Schembri, the then head of cabinet of the Maltese Prime Minister, harshly: she called him a “liar” who made fools of everyone. Schembri and Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi had opened offshore accounts in tax havens before they came to power. “Scoundrels everywhere you look. It’s desperate.” This is how the last entry ended.
Her death marks the country’s recent history like no other incident – and it shocked the world. Until then, Malta generally had the image of a cute, dreamy island in the Mediterranean.
For two years, three well-known judges researched the background of the murder, as the family and the European Union had requested. They listened to 120 witnesses, including many prominent personalities. For example the former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of the Labor Party. Muscat resigned in 2019 because of the turmoil over coming to terms with the murder. In order to understand the enlightening role of Caruana Galizia in Malta, a quote from Muscat from 2013 is cited again and again. “It is the only opposition in this country,” he said after he had just won the election – a young prime minister with a liberal and business-friendly stance. The report says that Muscat’s government was unacceptably close to “big business”. And they have generally and “at the highest level” for a “climate of impunity”.
The Prime Minister apologizes to the family – on behalf of Malta
Apparently the murderers felt protected in this climate. One in three men charged with carrying out the murder pleaded guilty and is now serving a 15-year prison sentence. Two more are still waiting for the verdict. But who were the real masterminds, the clients in the background?
Malta’s incumbent Prime Minister Robert Abela, like Muscat of the Labor Party, now apologize on behalf of the country to Daphne’s family, her husband and three sons, all of whom are fighting for their mother’s legacy. He spoke of “mistakes” that have been made and of a “dark chapter” in Malta’s history. The report is “a step in the healing process”. He ruled out new elections; after all, there were no people in his government who played a role in the investigation.
Daphne’s family also speaks of the hope of a new beginning. “May these findings lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta,” she wrote in a statement.