Degiorgios’ statement on Daphne’s murder ‘doesn’t refer to Joseph Muscat’
A public statement issued by George and Alfred Degiorgio almost a year ago, alleging the involvement of prominent politicians in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, did not refer to Joseph Muscat, one of the brothers testified yesterday.
The Degiorgios, who are currently each serving a 40-year jail term after pleading guilty to their role as hitmen in the murder, were summoned as witnesses by lawyer Christian Grima in libel proceedings filed against him by the former prime minister.
Neither Muscat nor his lawyer were present in court.
This was not the Degiorgios’ first appearance as witnesses in Muscat’s libel case.
When first summoned last October, they refused to testify, saying they were still undergoing criminal proceedings over the murder.
At a second summons in November, when the murder charges against them had been decided upon definitively at appeal stage, the Degiorgios were shown a copy of a statement they had circulated to the press months earlier.
However, while confirming their signatures on that document and the contents thereof, they refused to testify further.
“We will testify in due course. Why should I testify now for free,” George Degiorgio adamantly insisted at that hearing.
His brother, Alfred followed suit, choosing not to testify because of ongoing “constitutional cases and other proceedings too”.
Alfred Degiorgio took the witness stand first, explaining that he would testify as long as he did not incriminate himself.
Grima’s lawyer, Carl Grech, read out an excerpt from the Degiorgios’ public statement, specifically where they claimed that the Caruana Galizia murder case was not as it was being projected by those who wanted to ensure that “whoever was truly involved, would be made out as being a virgin”.
They also dismissed a government offer of a €1 million prize for information about the murder as a “farce”.
“So who was truly behind the murder,” Grech asked.
“I won’t answer at all,” Alfred Degiorgio replied.
“It doesn’t refer to Joseph Muscat for sure,” he added,
with reference to the document quoted by Grima’s lawyer.
Pressed further, Degiorgio said that, in order to answer, he would incriminate himself.
And when it was pointed out that he had already admitted to Caruana Galizia’s murder, the witness promptly rebutted: “No, I didn’t admit. I admitted nothing and I got 40 years imprisonment.”
“There’s a constitutional case,” he added.
Faced with that refusal to testify, Magistrate Victor George Axiaq remanded the witness in detention until he would choose to testify.
When George Degiorgio took the witness stand, he refused to testify when asked about the involvement of former minister Chris Cardona and former OPM
chief of staff Keith Schembri in the murder.
“I will not testify,” came the adamant reply. “Because this is not the opportune moment.”
He too was remanded in detention until he chose to testify. The case continues in May. Lawyers Leslie Cuschieri and Noel Bianco assisted the Degiorgios.