Updated Friday at 8.30am with government statement
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have backed a call by the Caruana Galizia family for an independent investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The international group, in a statement following the arrest of suspects in the murder, noted the family's astonishment that the arrests were announced by the prime minister and not by the police, as should be the case in this kind of investigation.
The family had also observed that the names of the suspects were released and that the magistrate who issued the arrest warrant was not the investigating magistrate in charge of the case.
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The family also said it was concerned that “a number of people who could be implicated continue to receive political cover for crimes they are widely reported to have committed.”
As there was no sign that the investigation was being conducted in an independent manner, the family demanded an “independent and impartial investigation,” the statement added.
“In the nearly two months since Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death, the authorities have been unable to show that they are conducting their investigation in an impartial manner, so we support the family’s request and we call for an independent international investigation to establish all the facts of her shocking murder,” said Pauline Adès-Mével, the head of RSF’s EU-Balkans desk.
Three men were yesterday arraigned and accused of carrying out the murder. All pleaded not guilty and were held in remand.
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Government of Malta takes exception to the statement
The government took umbrage at the statement, saying that there was "absolutely no basis for these claims".
"Our forces of law and order and those of various countries and also international organisations such as Europol and the FBI made substantial and valuable contributions to the investigation which led to the arraignment of three suspects in Court on the 5th December 2017.
"The announcement of the breakthrough in the investigation by the Prime Minister demonstrates the importance which government gives to this case, rather than diminishing its value as RSF implies. The government did not release the names of the suspects and went to great lengths to respect the presumption of innocence.
"Furthermore, contrary to what was claimed in the statement, the Maltese Police stated that the arrest warrants were issued to them by the investigating (inquiring) magistrate in charge of the case. The investigating (inquiring) Magistrate enjoys the trust of family Caruana Galizia," it said.