Daphne bomb suspect Jamie Vella calls for publication of Degiorgio statement to Reuters

A lawyer representing Jamie Vella, one of the men accused of supplying the bomb used to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has called for the publication of the statement triggerman George Degiorgio gave to Reuters.

He claimed that the police already have evidence, which they have not exhibited in court, indicating another person as having furnished her killers with the explosive device.

The call comes in the wake of an explosive interview published on Tuesday in which George Degiorgio, who is indicted over the journalist’s murder, told Reuters journalist Stephen Grey that he was willing to “testify that a top Maltese political figure had tried to arrange a hit on Caruana Galizia in a separate plot two years earlier,” also offering to testify about the involvement of two senior former ministers in an armed robbery. 

Degiorgio wants a reduced sentence for both him and his brother, Alfred, in return for this information.

In the interview, Reuters said that it would not be publishing further details of those allegations or naming the individuals accused by Degiorgio at this stage.

Vella had been arraigned in February 2021, accused together with Robert Agius of having conspired with others to murder Daphne Caruana Galizia and supplying the bomb used to assasinate the journalist in October 2017.  Vella and George Degiorgio are also accused of carrying out the 2015 assassination of lawyer Carmel Chircop.

In a statement sent to MaltaToday late on Tuesday, in the wake of George Degiorgio’s candid admission to Grey about his involvement in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Jamie Vella’s lawyer Ishmael Psaila said that “at this stage it is of utmost importance that the full statement given to Reuters by Mr George Degiorgio is published, to ensure that justice prevails.”

Psaila stressed that Vella had consistently denied any involvement in the Caruana Galizia murder from the outset and stated that the police were now in possession of “corroborating evidence indicating who really supplied the bomb to the alleged killers.” 

“It is the AG and police's duty to ensure that this information is declared in court and as to why no action has been taken as of yet, or if investigations are ongoing,” said the lawyer.

"Anything less than maximum punishment signals that journalists can be killed with impunity" - Corinne Vella

In a series of tweets reacting to the news, Caruana Galizia's sister Corrinne Vella underlined that "the state-appointed public inquiry into Daphne's assassination concluded that her murder was predictable and preventable and that the Maltese state must bear responsibility for its failure to protect her life.

The purpose of the public inquiry into Daphne's assassination is for the Maltese state to learn how to prevent future deaths. Anything less than maximum punishment for her killers signals across Europe that journalists can be killed with impunity."