Joseph Muscat accuses Jason Azzopardi of lying over claims he knew of Caruana Galizia murder plot

Joseph Muscat seeks breach of privilege ruling over Jason Azzopardi’s claim the former prime minister knew about plot to murder Daphne Caruana Galizia

Joseph Muscat has asked for a breach of privilege ruling over accusations made by Jason Azzopardi that he knew of Caruana Galizia's murder plot
Joseph Muscat has asked for a breach of privilege ruling over accusations made by Jason Azzopardi that he knew of Caruana Galizia's murder plot

Joseph Muscat sought a breach of privilege ruling after Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi claimed in parliament that the former prime minister knew of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder plot.

In an angry intervention in parliament on Wednesday afternoon, Muscat said he will not allow anyone to sully his reputation with "slander and lies".

He was referring to Azzopardi’s adjournment speech in the morning session when the Nationalist Party MP concluded that Muscat decided to call an early election in 2017 because he knew about the plot to murder Caruana Galizia.

Azzopardi was drawing his conclusions from testimony given by a police inspector in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry today that murder suspect Yorgen Fenech had told police during interrogation that he knew an early election was on the cards at least seven months before.

Azzopardi said the reason for the June 2017 election was not the Egrant controversy as Muscat had claimed but the fact that he knew Caruana Galizia was onto something and a plot was hatched to murder her.

Muscat strongly rebutted the accusations. "These claims, which are untrue, result from nowhere but Jason Azzopardi’s nonsensical fantasy… I understand that politics requires me to accept harsh criticism but I will allow nobody to sully my reputation with a calumny like this," Muscat said.

"I am the only prime minister on whose watch, such a high profile murder was solved," Muscat said.

He accused Azzopardi of abusing his parliamentary privilege and asked the Speaker rule on the matter.

A ruling will be delivered in another sitting.