Europol on the ground assisting in investigations

Following a recent call by European Parliament President Antonio Tajani, backed by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, for Europol to be brought in to assist in the investigations into the mur- der of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the European Union’s law enforcement agency is now on the ground in Malta lending its expertise to investigations.

This newspaper is informed that Europol is lending its technical expertise in terms of access to the agency’s specialised databases that collate information and links to organised crime, drugs, money laundering and other major criminal threats.

It had been reported last week that Europol agents were to come to Malta to assist in the investigations, and sources close to those investigations yesterday confirmed that Europol is now on the ground in Malta and that the agency is assisting Maltese investigators.

The confirmation comes the day after Caruana Galizia was laid to rest and with tomorrow marking three weeks since the journalist was murdered after a bomb was planted in a car she had been using.

The FBI and Dutch forensic experts have also assisted Maltese police but so far authorities have not identified any suspects or a motive behind the murder, an event that has gripped the national attention for the last three weeks.

In an interview in today’s issue, Tajani said, “The murder is not only a Maltese problem, but also a European one. To kill a journalist is to kill freedom, to kill transparency. This is why I am calling for an international inquiry and on Europol to assist in investigations. I want to know who Daphne’s killers are, and who sent them.

“I think it is also important for Europol to know the history of this murder. There are many different interests, and ‘following-the-money’, for example, requires a European or international investigation.”