Caruana Galizia murder: Police say inquiring magistrate signed arrest warrants

In a statement issued this afternoon, the police said it was the inquiring magistrate and not the duty magistrate, as had been reported in some sections of the media, that signed the warrants

7 December 2017, 4:36pm

1 min read

Inquiring magistrate Anthony Vella signed the arrest warrants for the 10 individuals arrested on Monday morning over the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, according to a statement issued by the police this afternoon.

On Monday, the slain journalist’s family issued a statement in which they accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of misleading the press.

“The Prime Minister said the arrest warrants were signed by the inquiring magistrate. Arrest warrants are routinely singed by the duty magistrate. The inquiring magistrate, Anthony Vella, is not the duty magistrate today,” the family said.

Caruana Galizia was killed on 16 October when a bomb placed inside her car was detonated as she left her home in Bidnija.

“In view of the misleading claims that are being made with reference to the inquiry following Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder to the effect that the inquiring magistrate was not the magistrate who singed the arrest warrants requested by the police, the police feel obliged to clarify that the arrest warrants issued to them were actually issued by the inquiring magistrate,” read the statement by the police.

“Any claims to the contrary giving the impression that the inquiring magistrate was somehow bypassed are totally unfounded.”

Three men – George Degorgio, Alfred Degorgio and Vince Muscat – were charged with Caruana Galizia’s murder on Tuesday, pleading not guilty. They were arrested on Monday, along with seven other men who have since been released on police bail.