ROME – The confession of a murderer who was partially blind in the hideous murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia started a series of new arrests in the complicated case.
On Tuesday, a Maltese judge accepted the surprising plea of guilt from Vincent Muscat, 57, who originally pleaded not guilty together with the brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, for detonating the car bomb that killed Galizia on a country road near her. home in Malta in October 2017. The brothers, who were also in court, maintain their guilty plea in the case. Muscat’s lawyers say the change in tactics is part of a guilty plea that is expected to get his client out of prison in 2027.
Muscat, who is blind in one eye after being shot at point-blank range in April 2014 in an assassination revenge attempt, was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison, for which he has already served three years. He admitted all six charges against him: the intentional murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, causing an explosion that led to the death of a person, illegal possession of explosives, conspiracy to commit a crime, promotion of a group that intends to commit criminal acts and participation in such a group. He separately received a presidential pardon for the murder of lawyer Carmel Circop in 2015, in which he provided crucial information after confessing his peripheral involvement in that crime. This pardon does not affect Galicia’s sentence.
Moments after Muscat’s change of opinion was read in court by his lawyer, the police broke into a secret hiding place by the brothers Adrian and Robert Agius and accomplice Jamie Vella, arresting the trio for allegedly supplying the bomb that killed Galizia. Police say more arrests are expected. On Wednesday, Malta’s local media reported that three more arrests were imminent, including those with links to organized crime in Italy and Malta.
Galizia’s many investigative targets revealed on his Running Commentary blog, which still receives thousands of visits a day according to his children, included then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (unrelated to Vincent). His wife was linked to the corrupt Pilatius bank exposed in the Panama Papers. Since his assassination, journalists who collaborated in Galizia’s original investigations under the Daphne Project have discovered other connections between the wife of the Maltese prime minister and the bank. Muscat resigned under pressure in 2019 because of his associates’ alleged links to the murder.
The prime minister’s former associate, energy tycoon Yorgen Fenech, who secretly owned 17 Black, a company that was a frequent target of Galizia’s journalistic investigations, was arrested on his yacht en route to Italy in December 2019. He is accused of being the mastermind of the murder and denies involvement. Preliminary hearings for his trial are due to resume on March 18.
Fenech’s arrest came after taxi driver Melvin Theuma confessed to being an intermediary between Fenech and those accused of committing the crime. Vincent Muscat’s bargain allegedly includes testimony that corroborates the taxi driver’s claims. Fenech secured presidential pardon and full protection in exchange for his testimony. The Project Daphne reporting consortium learned that Galizia received a cache of thousands of emails and documents linked to a company owned by Fenech. Investigators believe she may have been killed before exposing the contents of the documents.
Galizia’s family, who believe she was murdered for getting too close to the crimes of Malta’s political elite, issued a cautious statement after Muscat’s appeal. “This development will pave the way for full justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia,” they said, adding that her murder “destroyed her right to life and removed her right to enjoy her family and grandchildren born after her murder”.
The Galizia family lawyer read the statement in court. “Daphne Caruana Galizia’s macabre murder was intentional and could have been prevented. The victim paid with his life and his family is paying for the loss of a loved one, ”he said. “I said all of that today because if Daphne’s family had to respond to the court settlement based on their emotions, their response would be obvious.”
Maltese blogger Manuel Delia, who wrote a book on the case, warns that Vincent Muscat’s confession does not resolve the case. “Muscat is at the bottom of this mafia’s brutal hierarchy. He’s not even a button man. He is a servant who saw things and remembered some of them and the moment he faced a possible life sentence, he used what he saw and remembered to negotiate a reduced sentence for himself, ”he said on Tuesday. “Upon hearing his confession, his admission of guilt is a small step in the sad, long and fruitless search for justice.”