Maltese minister quits over husband’s bomb suspect link

MALTA’S new government suffered its first political casualty linked to the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the investigative journalist, after a minister was forced to resign yesterday.

Justyne Caruana stepped down after it emerged that her husband, a senior police officer, flew to London to watch a Chelsea match at Stamford Bridge with a businessman who is now in custody charged with masterminding the car bombing, which he denies.

Silvio Valletta, the former head of the criminal investigation department, travelled with Yorgen Fenech, who was arrested late last year on his luxury yacht in Maltese waters.

The story emerged after footage was found on Mr Fenech’s mobile phone of the police chief in the tycoon’s white Rolls-royce. The minister’s resignation comes just a few days after Malta’s new prime minister was sworn in at the head of a new government.

Robert Abela replaced Joseph Muscat, who had to step down after senior government figures, including his chief of staff, were questioned over the murder. Ms Caruana, the minister for the island of Gozo, said that she was “totally extraneous” to the affair and would remain as an MP with the ruling Labour Party. But her resignation showed that while the government leadership has changed, the scandal over the murder continues to have ramifications for politicians and police.

Mr Valletta was deputy police commissioner when Mrs Caruana Galizia was blow up by a car bomb in 2017.

He withdrew from the case in June 2018 after an alleged conflict of interest, but three months later took the trip with Mr Fenech. He claimed that at the

‘This once again exposes how close government members were to the whole affair’

time he had no idea that Mr Fenech was a suspect in the murder.

“I never did anything wrong and would certainly never have gone abroad with anyone who I suspected or knew to be under investigation”, said Mr Valletta, who is now retired.

Manuel Delia, a campaigner and the author of a book about the murder, told The Daily Telegraph. “This once again exposes how close government members were to the whole affair.

“We have a new prime minister but he has already hit a stumbling block – a minister he appointed just last week has had to resign.”