Daphne’s murder was not just about one man

The evidence and testimony emerging from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder trial are exposing a disturbing picture of the relationships between political power, big business, organised crime and the institutions of the State.

The trial must establish the criminal responsibility of the only person accused, Yorgen Fenech. But the Maltese public also has the right to ask what happened beyond the immediate perpetrators: who knew what, who was informing whom, who had access to confidential investigations, and whether political connections provided protection to people surrounding this case.

After the end of the Yorgen Fenech jury anyone against whom sufficient evidence emerges should face separate criminal proceedings.

The testimony concerning an alleged earlier plot against Daphne in 2015 is particularly disturbing. If such a plot existed, who was behind it? Why was Daphne already being targeted years before her eventual assassination? And why have the circumstances surrounding that alleged plot remained unresolved?

There is also the deeply troubling question of the flow of information between people connected to Yorgen Fenech and the State. If, after Daphne’s assassination, information about police investigations was reaching individuals under investigation, who was providing it? And how could such a system operate without the knowledge or complicity of people inside the State?

Prof. Arnold Cassola, Leader of Momentum said “We cannot allow the Daphne Caruana Galizia case to end with the person sitting in the dock. While the jury must establish the truth about Yorgen Fenech’s involvement in the murder, Malta must also establish the truth about everything that surrounded it. We need to know who knew, who informed whom, who protected whom, who benefited from a system in which Daphne could be silenced and who has committed perjury during the investigations and during the jury. If the evidence points towards other crimes or other individuals, then those cases must be investigated and, where the evidence warrants it, prosecuted separately.”

The repeated questions surrounding Keith Schembri, Yorgen Fenech and their wider network of political and business relationships cannot simply disappear because they are politically inconvenient. Daphne was investigating precisely these relationships when she was murdered.

“The question is no longer simply who killed Daphne,” Cassola added. “The question is also whether Malta has uncovered the entire network that made her murder possible. We owe Daphne and her family more than a verdict. We owe them truth and justice. And we owe the citizens of our country honesty, transparency and accountability in governance”.

Momentum notes that during the recent election campaign both PL and PN have chosen to shy away from the issue of corruption, which lies at the heart of Malta’s institutional failures. Momentum has instead proposed concrete reforms, including a stronger independent Anti-Corruption Commission, a Special Prosecutor, criminalising political favours, controls on conflict-of-interest and a real-time Public Spending Ledger.

The country owes Daphne clean, honest, and transparent politics and institutions.

There is hope, you can help!

Join Momentum and build a better Malta. Volunteer, donate, or subscribe today!