Tangentopoli prosecutor Di Pietro: Daphne’s murder was no petty crime, an organisation is behind it

The prosecutor in the famed Italian ‘bribesville’ cases of the 1990s, former MP Antonio di Pietro, addressed the Civil Society Network demonstration on Sunday in Valletta.

“I want to know how the murder happened, and I want to know today,” Di Pietro, who once led the Italy of Values party, told a sizeable crowd outside the House of Representatives.

“Everyone must believe they will succeed in what they believe in, and normality will be achieved when people like me, whose job was to bring criminals to justice, will no longer make the news…. That I found in my way politicians, ministers, public officials and the like, was not my fault because I was only doing my job,” he said.

Civil Society demo: 'I want to know who killed Daphne' - Di Pietro

Di Pietro said he wanted to show solidarity with the family of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. “I too have lived in fear for my life, so I know what she went through, and what her family goes through, simply because of her belief in the right to inform people of what is going on,” he said.

But Di Pietro said it was not correct to call Malta a mafia state. “Yes, like in Italy, there are mafia components, but the country is not a mafia state,” he said. “So we can appreciate how fundamental people like Daphne are for democracy.”

He said it was important for the Maltese not to let Caruana Galizia’s assassination be dismissed as any other murder, as had happened very often in Italy. “In Italy, it was possible to react to the mafia because a small crowd grew to become an ocean of opposition against the criminal mindset,” he said. “I tell you it is not enough to find what explosive killed Daphne and where it came from, but it is imperative that you learn who killed her.”

Former Italian magistrate and independent MEP Antonio di Pietro on the stage of CSN demonstration in front of Parliament. Photo by James Bianchi

Di Pietro encouraged those present not to give up, as their movement grew, but to pass on to their message to others, to ensure that liberty and justice prevail.

“In these few days I have spent here, I quickly realised people were trying to dismiss Daphne’s murder as any other petty crime, but this is impossible to believe, because it is obvious there was an organisation behind it,” he said. “Do not be satisfied when they tell you otherwise, because true democracy requires the rule of law.”

Di Pietro said everyone had a duty to play in democracy and should not simply rely on the police or the prosecutors. He also said that politicians are doing the job of a thief, instead of the job of a politician. 

Crowds march through Republic street holding banner reading 'no change, no justice' above police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar, as well as one of AG Peter Grech. Photo by James Bianchi

“I am pleased to be here today in front of you, knowing you want to react, but the rule of law will only be effective when the powers that be are made to answer for their actions,” he said.

Di Pietro told MaltaToday that he wanted to bring attention to the risks Malta is currently facing. “Don’t think that you are doing fine, because you are not, and you will suffer in the future. This is a continuous fever, and we cannot just wait for courts or police to do their job,” he said, adding that all citizens must denounce what is going on. “I want to know how the murder happened, and I want to know today.”

Other voices

Writer Immanuel Mifsud also led a measured invective against the dominance of politicians in Maltese life.

“We are still trusting politicians to lead us, and we still think that the country belongs to them. We feel that we belong to politicians, rather than that politicians belong to us… The country shouldn’t maintain its tribal mentality with which only those who have power get to enjoy it.”

Journalist Caroline Muscat, from The Shift News, said citizens were obliged to be critical and look for the truth. “Don’t let anyone silence you. They do so because they are afraid, just as they were afraid of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Don’t allow anyone to call you traitors for wanting clean politics.”