Maltese prime minister and wife cleared of corruption

AN INQUIRY into high-level corruption claims made by Daphne Caruana Galizia, the murdered Maltese journalist, has found no evidence that the Maltese prime minister’s wife was involved in money laundering.

Mrs Galizia, the island’s most influential blogger, was killed in a car-bomb attack last October, just six months after reporting that Joseph Muscat’s wife, Michelle, had a secret bank account that was used for laundering cash for the ruling family of Azerbaijan.

The allegation – part of a string of stories alleging sleaze in Malta’s government – prompted widespread speculation that she had been the victim of a state-backed assassination.

However, a lengthy inquiry by a Maltese magistrate has now ruled that there was no evidence to link either Ms Muscat or her husband to Egrant, a shell company first identified in the 2016 Panama Papers scandal.

Mrs Galizia had alleged that Egrant was used to channel more than $1million (£761,000) from the family of Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan.

The ruling, which came after Aaron Bugeja, a magistrate, took evidence from 477 witnesses, including forensic experts, is a potential blow to Ms Galizia’s family and supporters, who have voiced concerns that the inquiry could be subject to political interference.

In a statement yesterday, Mrs Galizia’s family said that, since the inquiry had still not established who really was the beneficial owner of the Egrant company, Mr Muscat and his family could not claim to be in the clear.