European Parliament to send delegation to Malta to investigate rule of law in country

European Parliament will send a delegation to Malta to investigate “the extent to which the rule of law is applied, what steps are taken against corruption and how money laundering is tackled”

The EP will send a delegation to Malta for a fact-finding mission on the rule of law
The EP will send a delegation to Malta for a fact-finding mission on the rule of law

The European Parliament will be sending a delegation of MEPs to Malta to investigate the state of rule of law in the country.

In a tweet, liberal MEP and former Dutch prime minister Guy Verhofstadt said that after meeting the family of slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, he felt “their account of the situation in Malta was shocking”.

“Corruption seems to be widespread and has become a profitable business model,” Verhofstadt said.

In a decision taken by EP conference of presidents of the political groups, the European Parliament will now send a delegation to Malta to investigate “the extent to which the rule of law is applied, what steps are taken against corruption and how money laundering is tackled.”

A plenary debate and resolution will also be held on 14 November dealing with the rule of law and money laundering in Malta.

The German MEP Sven Giegold (Greens/EFA) said  Europe must act and will act to help restore the rule of law in Malta. "By sending a delegation, the Parliament shows how serious it is about the situation of the rule of law in Malta. It is high time for the Maltese government to take action against high-level cases of money laundering and corruption. The culture of impunity and fiddling between political and economic elites has to stop.

"Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed because she shed light on the dirty business of powerful and scrupulous people. It is now up to us to finish Galazia's fight for justice. A resolution on the rule of law and money laundering in Malta and a delegation of parliamentarians are the first steps to defend our fundamental principles of democracy, rule of law and justice."

Giegold said that the S&D group did not support the plenary debate or the mission to Malta. "When European values are a stake, the pro European groups of this Parliament have to stand together."

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on Monday, 16 October, in a car bomb as she drove away from her home in rural Bidnija.

A police investigation is ongoing with the assistance of FBI officers and Dutch forensic police.

The European Parliament this week welcomed Caruana Galizia’s three sons and her husband, where party chiefs and EP president Antonio Tajani