President George Vella holds crisis meetings with Joseph Muscat and Adrian Delia

President George Vella held two separate meetings with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Adrian Delia in the wake of recent developments.

Earlier in the day, sources close to the Nationalist Party said Delia had requested a meeting with the head of State to discuss the “constitutional crisis” and weigh in on the latest developments concerning the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation.

This newspaper is informed that a second meeting took place afterwards between Vella and the Prime Minister. It is understood that Muscat briefed the President on the latest developments in the murder investigation.

In his role as president, Vella has limited powers but can summon the country’s leaders to be briefed about current affairs. 

A spokesperson for the Office of the President said she could not add anything to what was already reported in the media.

In a Facebook video after the meeting, Delia said that he raised his concerns over the role the Prime Minister has taken in the ongoing investigation of Caruana Galizia's murder.

The meetings took place at the end of an eventful week that saw businessman Yorgen Fenech arrested because he is deemed to be a person of interest in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation.

Fenech’s arrest came less than 24 hours after the Prime Minister said that he had signed a letter of commitment to recommend a presidential pardon to the alleged middleman in the murder.

Muscat signed the letter of commitment without referring the matter to Cabinet and has single-handedly taken the initiative to inform the public on developments in the murder investigation.

The Caruana Galizia family, earlier in the day criticised the Prime Minister for taking centre stage in the investigation.

People took to the streets in Valletta on Wednesday asking for the resignations of Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Joseph Muscat. The protest went sour when demonstrators surrounded the official car of Justice Minister Owen Bonnici while he was inside and started banging on and kicking the vehicle.

A second anti-corruption protest is being held tonight in Valletta.