No politicians have been interviewed during the course of investigations into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a source familiar with the probe has said. 

Ms Caruana Galizia was a vocal critic of the Labour Party, and later also turned her focus to Opposition leader Adrian Delia.

The source said police believed the person who ordered the assassination of Ms Carauna Galizia was likely part of an organised crime syndicate.

"You should avoid the assumption that this was any kind of political conspiracy," the source told members of the 'Daphne Project'.

Police also believe the murder suspects were tipped off about their impending arrest, evidence from the investigation seen by Times of Malta shows.

The police arrested 10 people last December, three of whom were eventually charged with carrying out the car bombing.

Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio stand accused of Ms Caruana Galizia’s assassination, along with Vincent Muscat.

The suspects were arrested during a raid last December.The suspects were arrested during a raid last December.

All three men deny the charges.

The source said investigators were now probing the connections of these suspects to try to discover who ordered her killing.

The working theory was that Ms Caruana Galizia must have stepped on the toes of one or more criminals, the source continued.

Court evidence has shown how George Degiorgio's phone was being tapped by the security services in the weeks prior to the October 16 execution of Ms Caruana Galizia.

Police have said in court that Mr Degiorgio's phone was tapped due to his suspected involvement in another crime. 

A foreign intelligence source told the 'Daphne Project' that local intelligence services "had no leads" about the impending bomb plot.

Meanwhile, the video above shows the boat from which the bomb was allegedly detonated leaving the port and returning. 

Family 'does not trust' investigators with laptop

Investigators said they were frustrated by the lack of trust from the family, as evidenced by their refusal to hand over Ms Caruana Galizia's laptop.

Contacted about their refusal to hand over the computer, Corrine Vella said her sister Daphne would never have wanted her laptop to be given to the authorities.

"She would always hide her laptop before going out. It was about protecting her sources. And she died protecting her sources. She knew that whatever information the police got hold of would go straight to the same people in government she was investigating," Ms Vella said.

Ms Vella said the police were asking the family to make an "impossible choice".

"It’s like hand over the laptop or we are not going to investigate. We can't do that. We just don't trust them,” Ms Vella said.

The findings about the murder investigation have come as part of an investigation by more than 18 media organisations, including Times of Malta.

This collaboration, known as the Daphne Project, was coordinated by Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based group that continues the work of journalists silenced through murder or imprisonment.

 

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