Top Malta leaders quit amid journalist’s murder probe

VALLETTA: Two high-ranking politicians in Malta’s government resigned, with a third “suspending himself”, as a murder probe accelerated into the killing of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia (pic) two years ago.

Tuesday’s resignations of Keith Schembri, the chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, and tourism minister Konrad Mizzi mark the biggest political fallout to date since Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb in 2017.

Sources said that Schembri had been called in for questioning by police after his name was mentioned by the main suspect in the case, business mogul Yorgen Fenech.

Fenech, who was arrested on his yacht last week, has requested immunity to reveal what he knows about the case.

He was released on bail on Tuesday, according to police sources.

Later, Mizzi told journalists it was his “duty” to step down “so that the government of Joseph Muscat would be able to complete its full term”.

In another blow to the government on Tuesday, Economy Minister Chris Cardona’s ministry said he was “suspending himself with immediate effect from his position as minister pending the investigations and proceedings going on right now”.

Caruana Galizia, a popular journalist and blogger described as a “one-woman WikiLeaks”, became known for exposing cronyism and sleaze within the country’s political and business elite.

She alleged that Schembri and Mizzi had been involved in corruption, claims both men have denied.

Separately, Caruana Galizia had also reported that Cardona had visited a German brothel while on official government business, according to Maltese media.

Caruana Galizia’s murder sparked outrage and protests in the Mediterranean island, with her family accusing Muscat of protecting those involved in her death.