Daphne’s murder

It was the pivotal story of 2017 – the car bomb murder of controversial journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was a cataclysmic event, the likes of which comes along perhaps only once in a lifetime, a true ‘I-remember-where-I-was-when-I-heard-the-news’ moment.

On the sunny afternoon of October 16, news broke of a violent explosion in Bidnija just after 3pm. Word that Ms Caruana Galizia was the victim was immediate, and it was not long before rumour became fact and the worst fears were confirmed. The shocking news of her death just metres from her family home dominated the headlines both locally and internationally, setting off a chain of events that propelled Malta into the global spotlight.

Thousands of mourners took to the streets of St Julian’s on the night of October 16, and as grief gave way to anger, so too did vigils turn into demonstrations. The Civil Society Network called people to the streets demanding “justice for Daphne”, the resignation of the Police Commissioner and at times even the Prime Minister.

The Occupy Justice movement pitched tents outside the Auberge de Castille demanding change, and the Maltese media united under one banner, “The pen conquers fear,” pledging not to be silenced.

Meanwhile, as Malta was flooded with the international press, questions were raised in Brussels about the island’s relationship to the rule of law. A delegation of MEPs was sent over to Malta on a fact-finding mission, and their report is expected in early 2018.

The European Parliament also called on the European Commission to initiate dialogue with the Maltese government on the functioning of the rule of law after a large majority of MEPs voted in favour of a resolution that outlined a series of concerns about Malta. EU parliamentarians called on the Commission, among other things, to investigate whether Malta is compliant with EU anti-money-laundering laws.

Alleged killers arraigned

It has been billed as the case of the century, the court proceedings against the three men accused of planning and carrying out the car bomb murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Security was tight whenever Daphne Caruana Galizia’s alleged killers were brought to court. Photo: Chris Sant FournierSecurity was tight whenever Daphne Caruana Galizia’s alleged killers were brought to court. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu, Alfred Degiorgio, 52, il-Fulu and George Degiorgio, 54, ic-Ciniz have all pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. The three were arrested earlier this month in a nationwide operation that focused mostly on a Marsa potato shed which the gang used as a sort of clubhouse.

The court proceedings got off to a rocky start after the first two magistrates meant to preside over the compilation of evidence both decided to withdraw. A third magistrate eventually took on the case, turning down a request from the accused for yet another recusal.

Investigators have so far laid out the bulk of the evidence against the three men, with a court deciding it had already heard enough to warrant a trial.

The evidence is based mostly on telephone data that investigators believe links the three men to the phones used to detonate the explosion.

The investigation saw police get the help of international law enforcement agencies like the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and the EU’s Europol.

The case continues on February 1.

Joseph Muscat is sworn in after his second landslide victory. Photo: Matthew MirabelliJoseph Muscat is sworn in after his second landslide victory. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Labour’s second term and Parliament’s third party

After a short but heated electoral campaign, Labour won the June general election by a landslide majority, handing leader Joseph Muscat a strong mandate to head a government for a second term.

Despite serious corruption allegations that went to the very heart of the PL leadership, the incumbent won 55.04 per cent of the vote, while the PN obtained just 43.6 per cent.

Shortly after news broke, Simon Busuttil resigned as leader of the PN.

But the election had another twist. Marlene Farrugia’s Democratic Party, which had contested the election on the PN ticket, found itself in the House with two MPs.

Immediately after Dr Busuttil’s resignation, questions emerged about whether the PN-PD coalition would last under the new leadership. Would Dr Busuttil and Dr Farrugia’s Forza Nazzjonali be dissolved?

Earlier this month, the reply came back: yes. On December 15, the PN executive unanimously agreed to scrap the agreement which set up the Forza, meaning PD has become a third party in Parliament with no ties to any of the two main parties.

Health Minister Chris Fearne meanwhile became Labour’s new deputy leader, beating Edward Scicluna and Helena Dalli.

Egrant and the snap election

It was one of the most sensational allegations in Maltese political history – Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife, Michelle, own a secret Panama company and used it to hide Azerbaijani kickbacks.

The claim, published by Daphne Caruana Galizia on her blog, Running Commentary, gripped the country and appeared to be the deciding factor that forced Dr Muscat into an early election.

Back in April questions over the identity of the person behind the Panama firm Egrant were on everybody’s mind.

The company had first been identified during the 2016 Panama Papers leaks, and at the time it was known only as the ‘other’ company formed simultaneously with those belonging to then energy minister Konrad Mizzi and Dr Muscat’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

Who owned this company? Who was the high-profile person whose identity had not been divulged in leaked emails, as had been the case with Dr Mizzi and Mr Schembri?

After months of uncertainty, Ms Caruana Galizia finally dropped the bombshell, outlining allegations that large sums of money had been transferred from the daughter of Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev to an account that the late journalist claimed was owned by Ms Muscat.

The allegations were based on details provided by a former employee of Pilatus Bank, a mysterious Russian whistleblower who has since fled the country, and documents which Ms Caruana claims to have seen and uploaded onto “the cloud”.

Although no proof has ever been produced to back up the allegations, Dr Muscat had to react. “This is a lie, one of the biggest lies in our history,” he told Labour Party supporters at a rally.

A magisterial inquiry was called some eight months ago, and the Prime Minister pledged to resign if even a smidgen of evidence showed he had done any wrong.

But that was not enough. The Prime Minister said the claims posed a threat to the country’s stability, and once then Opposition leader Simon Busuttil had made the allegations his own, an early election was called for June.

EU presidency puts Malta on international stage

2017 was also the year Malta got to sit in the driver’s seat of European politics. The island’s presidency of the Council of the EU, a six-month rotating position, was widely described as a success.

The Maltese presidency concluded at least 24 main legislative dossiers with the European Parliament, and European Council President Donald Tusk telling the world it was one of the best experiences of his professional life. Malta become the smallest country to take on the presidency of the Council of the EU, the institution comprising the leaders of each Member State. Malta’s turn in the hotseat brought with it significant responsibility and opportunity, as well as a lot of international media coverage.

For six months, Malta planned and chaired ministerial meetings in Brussels and Luxembourg and hosted a number of high-level meetings and conferences in Malta, including a summit of EU heads of government in February. With a whopping €40 million budget, it attracted around 20,000 EU delegates and some 2,500 journalists.

Azure Window gone forever

One day it was there, the next it was gone. When the Times of Malta reported that the Azure Window had collapsed into the sea, many readers initially seemed reluctant to believe that the photos were real.

Within minutes, the story had spread to all four corners of the globe.

The government was quick to insist that several studies had shown that no man-made intervention could have prevented the collapse, and a distraught Gozo Minister Anton Refalo likened the event to “losing a part of yourself”.

The online story of the window’s collapse went viral and was the most read article in Times of Malta's history.

A minister walks into a brothel…

2017 got under way with a healthy dose of scandal when the late Ms Caruana Galizia said Economy Minister Chris Cardona had been seen by a “source” visiting a brothel.

She claimed Dr Cardona had visited FKK Acapulco, a brothel in Velbert, outside Dusseldorf, accompanied by an aide during an official visit to Germany. Dr Cardona denied the allegation and instituted a number of libel cases, securing a €46,000 garnishee order against the journalist. The garnishee drew condemnation from international journalist groups and prompted renewed calls for the removal of criminal libel.

The public raised some €70,000 for Ms Caruana Galizia following the garnishee. The libel proceedings are still pending.

Gay marriage was the first law moved by the Labour administration after the June election. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaGay marriage was the first law moved by the Labour administration after the June election. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Marriage equality

Perhaps the biggest social reform this year came in the summer, when Parliament voted to introduce marriage equality, effectively allowing same-sex couples to get married for the first time in Malta.

It was the first law moved by the Labour administration after the June election and fulfilled an electoral pledge.

President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca signed the new law on August 1, giving the LGBTIQ community additional cause for celebration during the Gay Pride festivities on September 9.

Parliament approved by an overwhelming majority the changes proposed by the government to the Marriage Act, which replaced references to a mother or father with the word ‘parent’ and a husband or wife with ‘spouse’.

The reform was not without its controversy, but Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo was the only dissenting voice to last out – voting against the law and ignoring the party Whip.

The government had rejected amendments put forward by the Nationalists to include the gender-neutral terminology alongside the words ‘mother’, ‘father’, ‘husband’ and ‘wife’.

But the PN parliamentary group still voted in favour of the gender-neutral law to fulfil its own electoral pledge.

Adrian Delia came out of nowhere and was elected leader of the Nationalist Party. Photo: Mark Zammit CordinaAdrian Delia came out of nowhere and was elected leader of the Nationalist Party. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Adrian Delia’s New Way

He came out of nowhere – a political outsider who promised to bring the Nationalist Party back to winning ways after a second, devastating election defeat.

Adrian Delia took the party by storm in September, but his election as leader, narrowly beating veteran PN insider Chris Said, seemed to split the PN down the middle.

Again, Ms Caruana Galizia played a role in the story. Vowing to oppose Dr Delia with the same vigour she summoned to oppose the Labour Party, Ms Caruana Galizia lambasted those who supported his candidature.

Perhaps the biggest punch came when she reported on Dr Delia’s alleged links to a London-based prostitution racket and a questionable offshore account. Though the revelations were about a case over a decade old, to an extent they did stick, damaging his credibility and turning many in the party against him.

Despite this, paid up party members gave him the green light and narrowly voted for him instead of Dr Said.

The road ahead for the new leader  remains, arduous, however. He is backed up by new deputy leaders Robert Arrigo and David Agius.

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