Updated at 7.15pm: Adds Family Ministry's statement

The siblings of a seven-year-old girl who died in mysterious circumstances earlier this week are to be taken away from their parents and put into state care, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told parliament on Wednesday.

The child was found dead of unknown causes on Monday evening.

Replying to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Beppe Fenech Adami on Wednesday afternoon, Dr Muscat said that the Nigerian family had been in Malta for “a number of years” and lived together in an institution which was "not state-run". 

Earlier on Wednesday, the Curia denied that the family was in the care of a Church-run institution, saying the family lived independently in an apartment leased to it by the Dominican nuns at the request of the government's AWAS agency in 2016.

Family Minister Michael Falzon, who is currently abroad on state business, had now signed care orders to take the child’s two siblings into state care, Dr Muscat said, adding that he did not know whether the process to issue care orders had started before the child was found dead.

Dr Muscat told MPs that members of the Nigerian community had since contacted authorities to express concern about “certain traits” the family had shown.

The Prime Minister did not elaborate any further, saying that while there was no indication that the child’s death was a crime, “we cannot exclude foul play.”
A magisterial inquiry into the death is underway.

In a statement later on Wednesday, the Family Ministry said  an independent investigation had also been ordered to establish all the facts.

It is being led by Judge Philip Sciberras. 

The investigation, the ministry said, was being held even though there had never been a protection order in favour of the minors.

Such an order had now been issued in favour of the siblings.