Malta may well have become a slightly safer place thanks to the police and judicial work, in collaboration with foreign agencies, done to investigate the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Among those agencies, the technical sophistication of the FBI appears to have been key to unlocking the case.
Beyond the immediate implications for the current investigation, the arrest of the suspected killers has hopefully dealt a serious blow to at least one major criminal gang. It may also give a new impetus to efforts to solve several other car bombings that have taken place over the last couple of years, with police sources saying the evidence collected in the Caruana Galizia probe may be of significance in those cases. There may also be a deterrence factor, given that the police will have learnt important lessons about investigating such incidents.
Congratulations are in order, therefore, to all those who have in some way contributed to this important development, not least whoever made the call that foreign input was required in the effort to solve the crime of the century.
It goes without saying that the investigation is far from over. Catching those believed to be the contract killers is only the first step towards the even more important objective of finding the people behind them, and perhaps the people behind those people. What is demanded now is that the investigation stays steadily on course and is given all the resources it needs to deploy methods in pursuit of those who masterminded the crime that are at least as sophisticated and effective as those used to trace the men suspected of committing it.
The suggestion of a presidential pardon to the suspects in return for state’s evidence, as reported in the Times of Malta yesterday, could be seen as an indication that the authorities are prepared to pull out all the stops in order to make more headway. But are they?
It is most unsettling that the family of the murdered journalist have no confidence in the independence of the investigation. International lawyers advising the family have pointed out that deputy police commissioner Silvio Valletta and his wife, Cabinet minister Justyne Caruana, were the subject of stories by Caruana Galizia alleging corruption and serious conflicts of interest, and say that Valletta “should step aside or be removed immediately” from the investigation. The advice claims his involvement is in flagrant violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and concludes that the appointment of external, impartial investigators “is an essential and extremely urgent requirement”.
Daphne’s son Matthew Caruana Galizia has gone so far as to ask anyone with information to contact him directly, out of the belief that anything brought to the attention of the police becomes known to the government and that investigators may be unwilling to act on information that relates to people in or close to the government.
The suspicion of many that the powers that be are somehow, at some level, entangled in this atrocious murder is unavoidable. People in government were the main targets of Daphne’s blog, in which she made accusations that ranged from kickbacks and money laundering to having links with organised crime.
It is very difficult for the Caruana Galizia family and the public to have trust in the investigation unless it is totally independent of any government influence. And the potential for influence is unfortunately very visible, most conspicuously in the Prime Minister taking centre stage instead of the police to announce the arrest of suspects, and more insidiously through the close link betweeen the deputy commissioner and the government.
Given the recent record of the police, which includes failing to take action on multiple serious allegations of wrongdoing by members of the government, it is impossible to dismiss the possibility that the government will influence the police in the murder probe should it need to. This would present a serious obstacle in the pursuit of justice.
The Prime Minister has said more than once that no stone will be left unturned to make sure justice is done. His declaration is not credible unless more distance is put between his government and the investigation.
Partial justice will not suffice. Only full justice will satisfy Daphne’s family, her compatriots and her fellow Europeans, who have shared our outrage and are keen to see our rehabilitation as a Member State where freedom of expression, institutional independence and the rule of law are fully respected.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial