The heirs of Daphne Caruana Galizia have stepped in to assume responsibility for the numerous pending libel cases involving the assassinated journalist.

On Thursday, the victim's husband, Peter Caruana Galizia appeared before Magistrate Francesco Depasquale who is presiding over some 37 defamatory suits involving Ms Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb last October.

The court made reference to an application filed by the surviving spouse and sons of Ms Caruana Galizia and thereby authorised Peter Caruana Galizia and his three sons to continue the suits in substitution of the deceased party.

The court next proceeded to address the cases in "batches" according to the legal issues at stake, since groups of cases had stemmed from common articles in the press and would therefore be conducted within the same sitting.

Most of the cases were adjourned to March.

The two most controversial pending libel cases revolve around the prime minister and a minister.

Joseph Muscat had sued Ms Caruana Galizia over a report that his wife was connected to an offshore company in Panama.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona had instituted libel proceedings and even asked the court to freeze the journalist's assets after she claimed that he had visited a brothel in Germany during an official visit.

The heirs of the former journalist are assisted by Dr Joseph Zammit Maempel.

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