‘Europol involved in Caruana Galizia murder investigation from earliest stage’, EC says

The European Commission’s home affairs commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos has told the European Parliament that Europol was involved at the earlier stages of the Maltese criminal investigation into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a reply to German left-wing MEP Cornelia Ernst, who requested information on EU agencies involved in the police investigation, Avramopoulos said at the earliest stage of the investigation of the homicide, Maltese law enforcement authorities requested Europol’s assistance.

“Experts from various Europol’s departments were deployed to Malta in order to provide on-the-spot assistance to the Maltese investigation.”

Avramopoulos said Europol does not have any coercive powers, which means it played a supporting role when such powers were exercised by the Maltese authorities. He said Europol’s supporting activities included collecting and analysing criminal intelligence.

“A technical platform was established for conducting operational analysis; acting as an information channel between Malta and other EU Member States and supporting cross-border information exchange activities; assisting investigative and operational activities to support and strengthen the actions of Maltese law enforcement; sharing specialist knowledge of investigative processes and technical and forensic methods, and providing advice to Maltese investigative authorities.”

He also said Europol supported the Maltese action that resulted in the arrest and charging of the three perpetrators suspected of having organised and executed the homicide.

“Europol and Eurojust are not investigative agencies. Investigations are carried out by member states’ competent authorities, and these may be supported or coordinated by Europol and Eurojust on request. Both agencies support the Maltese authorities on a range of serious and organised crime matters but cannot comment on operational matters.”

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack in Malta on 16 October 2017.

The MEP asked whether investigative teams were investigating with Europol the smuggling of oil products from Libya, through a smuggling network between Libya and Malta.

Arrest warrants for two Maltese wanted in Italy involved in fuel smuggling were issued 48 hours after Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder that week, but according to the Italian prosecutor this was coincidental.

Catania prosecuting magistrate Carmelo Zuccaro confirmed that Caruana Galizia’s name had not cropped up in his investigation, dubbed Dirty oil, despite what the Italian media has reported.

Zuccaro had ordered the arrest warrants for former national team footballer Darren Debono and Gordon Debono for their involvement in a lucrative fuel smuggling ring, a day after Caruana Galizia’s murder. The Italian Guardia di Finanza arrested Darren Debono in Lampedusa two days later, while Gordon Debono was stopped at Catania airport.