Update 2 | Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation now involves other EU states - Europol chief

In a letter to a Brussels lawmaker, outgoing Europol executive director Rob Wainwright says Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder investigation is ‘highly complex’ • The Malta Police Force said they seek further clarification from Europol

Europol was involved in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation from the start
Europol was involved in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation from the start

The investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia “now involves a number of EU member states”, the EU’s security agency has said.

Rob Wainwright, executive director of Europol, told MEP Ana Gomes in a letter that the investigation was “highly complex”.

“New concerns have arisen which are now the subject of further, high-priority investigation by Europol,” he said in the letter, dated 26 April.

The contents of the letter were divulged by The Daphne Project on Friday evening. MaltaToday has independently seen the letter.

New concerns have arisen which are now the subject of further, high-priority investigation by Europol Rob Wainwright

Wainwright did not elaborate on what he meant by “new concerns” and in what manner other EU countries were involved.

A spokesperson for Europol told members of The Daphne Project that the office had nothing to add to what was in the letter.

Wainwright was replying to a request for information by Gomes, who chaired a delegation of the European Parliament tasked to investigate the rule of law and money laundering in Malta.

The outgoing Europol chief pointed out that while the agency would continue to work closely with the Maltese authorities, “there is some room for improvement in this cooperation and we are actively seeking to address this”.

The Malta Police said it sought an urgent clarification on the letter to MEPs, and said Europol had confirmed that the reference to the statement “room for improvement” did not refer to cooperation with the Malta Police, but in relation to cooperation with other countries.

The Malta Police said there was a full and transparent cooperation with Europol about the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and other cases emerging through the investigation.

A government spokesperson told MaltaToday, the authorities were cooperating with Europol at “every level” to get to the bottom of the case.

The accused (left to right) Vince Muscat, Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio
The accused (left to right) Vince Muscat, Alfred Degiorgio and George Degiorgio

“If there is room for improvement, we will make any improvements necessary,” the spokesperson said, echoing the reply he gave The Daphne Project.

Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb on 16 October just after leaving her house in Bidnija. Three men have so far been charged with carrying out the murder but those who ordered it remain unknown.

Europol got involved in the Caruana Galizia murder investigation after a request by the Maltese government.

They were involved from the start and various police officers who have testified in court so far, have confirmed that they were accompanied by Europol officials during searches carried out at the houses of the accused.

Wainwright said the agency had been providing continuous support to Malta in the Caruana Galizia case since 26 October.

He also listed Europol’s activities, which include collecting, storing, processing, analysing and exchanging information, including criminal intelligence stemming from the case.

Europol has also notified Malta and possible other EU member states of information and connections between criminal offences concerning them.

Wainwright also used the letter to highlight, what he feels is a limitation of the agency’s regulation.

“[This] obliges Europol to rely on the information provided by the designated national competent authorities and to report developments in the case, including any matters arising of concern, solely to those authorities. This means, in effect, that the agency has no independent means to provide such assurance,” Wainwright said.

A group of international journalists from various media houses, including the Times of Malta, is following up stories covered by Caruana Galizia, in an initiative called The Daphne Project.

The Malta Police Force seek further clarification from Europol

The Maltese Police Force has said that at no point were they informed about any “room for improvement” by Europol.

In a statement, the police force said that until yesterday, they were discussing the way forward on the investigation,  and would like some clarification from Europol, to understand what Wainwright meant.

“We believe that the media are misinterpreting an ambiguous sentence,” the police said.

With regards to the statement that “new concerns have arisen which are now the subject for further high priority investigation,” the police said that they could not comment as it is part of a wider investigation.

“The Malta Police reiterates that it sought the assistance of Europol and has ever since kept an open relationship on the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.”