The murder of the Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 plunged the country into turmoil. Guardian journalist Juliette Garside, who has been investigating Caruana Galizia's death, speaks with Matthew Caruana Galizia about his mother, his family's quest for justice, and how tragedy may be uniting the country over political divides
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The captain rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean during the Covid-19 pandemic – video
Savvas Kourepinis is the captain of the Astral, a humanitarian boat patrolling the Mediterranean Sea to rescue people attempting to cross the main maritime route from north Africa to Europe. For most of this year, the Covid-19 pandemic forced these vital search-and-rescue missions to cease in what is often referred to as the deadliest migration route in the world. As Kourepinis and his crew set out on one of their first patrols since lockdown restrictions eased, they face stringent coronavirus regulations and the reluctance of nearby countries to take in the people the Astral has rescued
Continue reading...Malta may demand return of fossil given to Prince George by David Attenborough
Attenborough gave seven-year-old a giant shark tooth found on a family holiday
From the world-famous Koh-i-noor diamond to the Rosetta Stone, British royals have long been gifted rare objects that campaigners want repatriated to their rightful lands.
Prince George, it seems, is the latest in the line of fire, after being given a giant prehistoric shark tooth by the environmentalist and national treasure Sir David Attenborough, found on a family holiday to Malta more than 50 years ago.
Continue reading...Maltese police arrest former PM Joseph Muscat’s chief of staff
Keith Schembri is under investigation for money laundering linked to sales of passports to rich foreigners
Police in Malta have arrested Keith Schembri, the former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s chief of staff, as part of an investigation into alleged kickbacks connected to the sale of Maltese passports.
Schembri was arrested just after midnight on Tuesday, hours after a court issued a wide-ranging order for all his assets and those of his family and companies to be frozen. Being questioned alongside Schembri is the high profile Maltese accountant Brian Tonna, and one of his associates, who are also subject to the same freezing order. All three men deny wrongdoing.
Continue reading...Maltese journalist was killed over reporting on power plant, say police
Detective tells court Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder was motivated by desire to suppress information
Police believe that the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed for what she was about to reveal about a government-sponsored power station deal, a court in Malta has heard.
At the start of 2017, Caruana Galizia received a cache of 600,000 emails leaked from an energy company partly owned by Yorgen Fenech, who is now the chief suspect in the murder. The company, Electrogas, holds a lucrative concession to supply Malta’s state-owned electricity provider.
Continue reading...Malta’s former PM questioned over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder inquiry
Joseph Muscat formally interviewed for first time in connection with investigation
Malta’s former prime minister Joseph Muscat has been questioned by police in connection with the investigation into the murder of the anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Muscat resigned as leader of the EU member state in January after the widening political scandal surrounding the journalist’s death threatened to bring down his government.
Continue reading...Daphne Caruana Galizia murder: middleman found with stab wounds ahead of court date
Go-between in car bombing of Maltese journalist was found in pool of blood despite 24-hour police guard
The self-confessed middleman in the murder of the Maltese anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has suffered multiple knife injuries to his neck, torso and wrist, hours before he was due to give evidence in the case.
Melvin Theuma, a former taxi driver, was found in a pool of blood at his home on Tuesday evening and was rushed to hospital where he underwent surgery. He is in a stable condition, police said at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
Continue reading...US drops charges against banker investigated by Daphne Caruana Galizia
Family of murdered journalist call on Malta to prosecute Ali Sadr Hashemi Nejadin, whose Pilatus Bank was shut down for money laundering
The US department of justice has made an unusual decision to drop charges against a prominent Iranian banker who was convicted of bank fraud in March after prosecutors in New York said they did not have the resources to continue to prosecute the case on appeal.
The decision by the DOJ represents an extraordinary turn of events in an investigation that began in 2013 and was closely followed in Malta, where the defendant in the case controlled Pilatus Bank, which had ties to the country’s former prime minister, Joseph Muscat, and other top officials.
Continue reading...Italy considers charges over Malta’s ‘shocking’ refusal to rescue migrants
Foreign ministry condemns Valletta for not abiding by international rules and ordering stricken boat to Sicily at gunpoint
The Italian government has confirmed that Malta’s armed forces turned a migrant boat away at gunpoint from Maltese waters, after giving them fuel and the GPS coordinates to reach Italy.
Police in Sicily are investigating and the prosecutor’s office may open an investigation against Malta in the next few days. Maltese officers risk being charged with aiding illegal immigration.
Continue reading...Belgium confirms inquiry into Malta-China spy threat
Investigation centres on claims Beijing has spied on EU from Malta’s embassy in Brussels
Malta’s ties to China have come under the spotlight after Belgium’s intelligence services confirmed they have been investigating suspicions that Beijing has been spying from the country’s embassy opposite the European commission’s headquarters in Brussels.
A spokesman for Belgium’s homeland security service, the Veiligheid van de Staat, made the unusual disclosure about the existence of the inquiry after the French newspaper Le Monde reported on the suspected espionage by the Chinese state.
Continue reading...Exclusive: 12 die as Malta uses private ships to push migrants back to Libya
Survivor reveals further evidence to Guardian and La Repubblica of Malta’s deadly strategy to intercept migrants crossings
Further evidence of Malta’s strategy to push migrants back to the conflict zone of Libya has been revealed by a woman who survived a Mediterranean crossing in which 12 people died.
A series of voice messages obtained by the Guardian have provided confirmation of the Maltese government’s strategy to use private vessels, acting at the behest of its armed forces, in order to intercept migrant crossings and return refugees to Libyan detention centres.
Continue reading...Malta’s new PM has only days to prove himself, says Andrew Caruana Galizia
Son of murdered journalist says Robert Abela is ‘continuity candidate’ and must break with ‘corrupt legacy’
Malta’s new prime minister, Robert Abela, has a few days to prove whether he will break with “the corrupt legacy” of the past, a son of the murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galiziahas said.
Abela, an outsider who beat the favourite to become leader of Malta’s ruling Labour party on Sunday, will be sworn in as the island’s 14th prime minister on Monday.
Continue reading...Malta gets new PM after Muscat departs over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder
Robert Abela elected as Labour leader after PM Joseph Muscat resigned amid controversy surrounding investigation of journalist’s death
Outsider Robert Abela is set to become Malta’s new prime minister after the downfall of previous leader Joseph Muscat over the investigation into the murder of an investigative journalist.
Abela, who is seen as representing continuity, was elected leader of the Labour party on Sunday, meaning he automatically takes the role of prime minister.
Continue reading...EU parliament calls on Malta PM to resign now over Caruana Galizia
Resolution questions ‘integrity and credibility’ of murder investigation
The European parliament has called on Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, to quit immediately over his handling of the investigation into the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, as it declared there were “serious and persistent threats” to democracy and the rule of law on the island nation.
In a resolution approved by a large majority, the European parliament said it was deeply concerned about “the integrity and credibility” of the investigation into the death of Caruana Galizia, who exposed the shady financial dealings of Maltese elite and was murdered in a car bombing in October 2017.
Continue reading...EU leaders ‘should put pressure on Malta’s PM to quit immediately’
Media coalition wants guarantee of impartial investigation into murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, is facing renewed pressure to quit immediately as EU leaders are urged to take a stand on the “desperate” situation in the country at a summit this week.
Muscat, who is under fire over his role in the investigation into the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, plans to attend a regular summit of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
Continue reading...Why Malta is in crisis over the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia – video explainer
Malta is facing a political and constitutional crisis over its government's handling of the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a pioneering investigative journalist who was killed in a car bomb attack in 2017.
A European parliament delegation says the integrity of the murder inquiry is at risk while Joseph Muscat remains as prime minister.
Here is a look back at the main developments in the investigation
- Suspect in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder says he got tipoffs from official
- Opinion: Malta’s corruption is not just in the heart of government, it’s the entire body
Suspect in Daphne Caruana Galizia murder says he got tipoffs from official
Yorgen Fenech tells court Malta PM’s former chief of staff gave him updates on investigation
A wealthy businessman who is the prime suspect in the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has told a court in Malta that he received regular tipoffs about the investigation from the former government chief of staff Keith Schembri.
Yorgen Fenech, who was charged last week for allegedly masterminding the 2017 killing, appeared in court to seek the removal of the police chief leading the case, saying he was too close to Schembri.
Continue reading...Maltese minister egged before meeting about murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia – video
Malta's justice minister, Owen Bonnici, had an egg thrown at him by a protester and was met with chants of 'shame on you' as he arrived for a meeting held to discuss the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The investigative journalist, who had exposed high-level corruption in Malta, was killed in a car bomb attack in October 2017. Amid the ensuing constitutional and political crisis, the country's prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has promised to resign in January
- Caruana Galizia family demand investigation into Malta PM's role
- The Guardian view on the Daphne Caruana Galizia investigation: the ministerial connection
EU mission tells Malta PM to quit immediately over Caruana Galizia case
Joseph Muscat has made serious errors over investigation into journalist’s murder, says Dutch MEP
The head of an EU mission to Malta has called on the country’s embattled prime minister to quit immediately amid anger over his handling of the investigation into the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The Dutch liberal MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, who is leading the European parliament’s emergency fact-finding mission to Malta, said she was “not reassured” after meeting Joseph Muscat and his justice minister, Owen Bonnici.
Continue reading...Malta’s PM quits in crisis over Daphne Caruana Galizia murder
Joseph Muscat says he will stay on until January but journalist’s family calls for his immediate departure
Malta’s embattled prime minister Joseph Muscat has resigned, driven from office by the constitutional and political crisis triggered by the murder of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
In a televised address broadcast on Sunday evening, Muscat announced that he would stay on until a new leader of his ruling Labour party was elected in January. The prime minister expressed “deep regret” for Caruana Galizia’s murder and spoke of the need for a “fresh page”.
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