Damning revelations on Electrogas and 17 Black motive for Caruana Galizia assassination, son says

Matthew Caruana Galizia has hinted that Electorgas’ defaulting on a €600 million government-guaranteed loan, leading to the collapse of government’s credit rating, could be the motive behind his mother’s murder.

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s son took to Facebook following Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary Alfred Camilleri’s testimony during the public inquiry into the late journalists’ murder on Friday.

He said that he and his mother had been investigating the Electrogas deal prior to the assassination. Daphne was leaked a large cache of documents pertaining to Electrogas in the months before her murder.

Matthew Caruana Galizia said if that if they had published the Electrogas leak and had they revealed the fact that 17 Black is owned by the director of Electrogas and that it had "promised a bribe to the minister of energy", it would have failed compliance tests by banks.

He also said the company would have gone into liquidation.

“The default on the €600 million loans would have triggered a collapse in the government's credit rating, because the government was liable, through the government guarantee,” he said.

He also stated the government would have been unable to pay of “skyrocketing interests” on its loans.

“The government of Malta would have been in default, reduced to Argentinian status, and without a power station,” he said.

“What greater motive would the people involved have needed to commit murder?” Matthew Caruana Galizia asked.

During the public inquiry into the journalist’s murder, Camilleri cited his concern over the issuing of a bank guarantee to the Electrogas consortium.

However, the email exchange with various stakeholders like then-minister Konrad Mizzi shows that Camilleri requested an urgent meeting on the issue.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered on 16 October 2017 by after a bomb was detonated in her car. Three men stand charged with placing and detonating the bomb, while 17 Black owner Yorgen Fenech is charged with masterminding the assassination.

During Fenech's compilation of evidence yesterday, a police inspector testified that Fenech told police that Keith Schembri, the former prime minister's chief of staff, was behind the murder. Fenech had told police that Schembri wanted Daphne Caruana Galizia dead and that he had also forked out €80,000 for the murder.

READ ALSO: Yorgen Fenech told police Keith Schembri paid €80,000 for murder