Daphne Caruana Galizia family in final appeal for public inquiry into journalist’s murder

The family of slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has warned it will open a court case to force government to set up a public inquiry into the murder if their call continues to be ignored

The Caruana Galizia family have made one final appeal for a public inquiry into the journalist's assassination
The Caruana Galizia family have made one final appeal for a public inquiry into the journalist's assassination

A request by Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family for a public inquiry into the murder could end up in court unless government acts on it, lawyers for the family said.

The warning came as Doughty Street Chambers and Bhatt Murphy Solicitors called one last time on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to establish a public inquiry into the assassination.

The legal firms are representing the Caruana Galizia family and in an opinion they concluded that Malta is required to establish a public inquiry under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Prime Minister has gone on record saying that a public inquiry at this stage of proceedings was not necessary but did not exclude one in the future. The Attorney General has advised against opening a new inquiry into the murder before current investigations are over.

READ MORE: Let's wait for Caruana Galizia murder inquiry to end, Prime Minister says

Three men have been charged in court with Caruana Galizia’s murder and the magisterial inquiry and police investigation into the assassination are still open.

In a statement released on Friday evening, Paul Caruana Galizia, one of Daphne’s three sons said the family had already been forced to go to the highest court in Malta to remove from the criminal investigation a senior police officer who was the subject of her journalistic inquiry.

The constitutional court had ruled in favour of a request to have police Deputy Commissioner Silvio Valletta removed from the investigation.

“A grieving family of an assassinated investigative journalist should not have to return to court to compel Malta to comply with its legal obligation to establish a public inquiry; however, if that proves necessary we shall do so without delay,” Paul Caruana Galizia said.

 The family’s solicitor Tony Murphy of Bhatt Murphy said a final request for a public inquiry was communicated to the Maltese authorities today.

“If this does not result in steps being taken to establish a public inquiry, the family will have no option but to issue proceedings in Malta without delay and if necessary thereafter in the European Court of Human Rights,” Murphy said.

Parliament is next week expected to debate a motion put forward by the Nationalist Party asking among other things for the setting up of a public inquiry into the murder that is independent from the police and the government.