Prime Minister dispels Jason Azzopardi’s insinuation as ‘hogwash’
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat yesterday shrugged off Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi’s suggestion that an early election was called in 2017 because plans to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had already been hatched, describing the insinuation as ‘hogwash’.
Azzopardi had written on social media: “Today, know the answer to #DaphneCaruanaGalizia’s question in May 2017: ‘What happened that was so grave as to force Muscat to call an election a year early?’ 17 Black emails had been leaked to Daphne. The decision to have her eliminated had been taken. And she didn’t know it,” he posted.
Asked whether he would be suing Azzopardi for his comments, Muscat said that when he sues for libel he is criticised for doing so and when he doesn’t he is asked why not.
Muscat was also asked whether he knows of anyone suspected to be behind Caruana Galizia’s murder. He said that this was a matter for the police and, even if he did know any details, he would not divulge them.
He said that the only person to gain from any speculation surrounding such an investigation investigations is the suspect, who would be alerted.
Muscat said that he would have no problem testifying in the murder case if he is summoned by the courts. “I have no problem because I have nothing to hide,” Muscat said, although he added he did not know what he would be asked.
The Sunday Times reported that a businessman had been identified as a main suspect in the search for the mastermind behind the assassination of Caruana Galizia, and that Muscat has been summoned to testify.
Turning to the public inquiry, the prime minister was expected
to meet the Caruana Galizia family last week to discuss their concerns about members of the public inquiry appointed by Muscat almost a month ago. Muscat, when asked by the press yesterday morning, said he would not comment on whether he had met the journalist’s family after he appointed a public inquiry to investigate the murder. In Parliament, however, Muscat stated that he had met with the Caruana Galizia family and their representatives, but did not go into detail as to what was discussed during the meeting.
Recently, the government announced that it had appointed retired judge Michael Mallia to chair the board of inquiry. The other members are constitutional lawyer Ian Refalo and former forensic investigator Anthony Abela Medici.
In a statement last week, the family said a public inquiry chaired by a respected former judge “is what all right-minded people have been calling for since our mother’s and wife's assassination.”
However, the family said that “given the gravity of its purpose and its mandate to investigate state institutions, justice demands that the board’s wider members have no financial or political links to the current political administration.”
“The board will be unfit for purpose if the public has reason to doubt any of its wider members’ independence or impartiality,” the family added.
The family said that for the public inquiry to be in compliance with Maltese law, it must be truly independent, impartial, and have the trust of all parties.
“We trust that any suggested members are aware of these legal requirements and will spare the need for recusal applications. Malta has been denied truth and justice for two years. It cannot wait any longer.”
Speaking in Parliament, Opposition leader Adrian Delia criticized the fact that it was a newspaper that had revealed information about the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and not the police commissioner. “I expect that, in a democratic country, it is not a newspaper that updates us on what is happening, and not the prime minister, but the police commissioner,” Delia insisted.
Prime Minister Muscat replied that he had reservations as to whether the police commissioner should say anything about any investigation as that might undermine any ongoing investigations.
Muscat, during a Q&A with journalists yesterday, also spoke about immunity deals, and said he is sceptical about the effectiveness of presidential pardons when asked about a potential immunity deal with one of the murder suspects. Muscat said that in the past they had only served to help ‘people walk free’.
He neither confirmed nor denied claims that one of the men accused of killing Daphne Caruana Galizia had been refused a presidential pardon.