ROME: The confession of a partially blind assassin in the heinous murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has sparked a series of new arrests in the complicated case.
On Tuesday, a Maltese judge accepted the startling conviction of Vincent Muscat, 57, who had originally pleaded guilty along with brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio for throwing the car bomb that killed Galizia on a rural road in near his home in Malta in October 2017. The brothers, who were also in the courtroom, maintain their pleadings of guilt in the case. Muscat’s lawyers say the change in tactics is part of a guilty plea that should get the client out of jail in 2027.
Muscat, who is blind in one eye after being shot dead in April 2014 in an attempted vendetta murder, was sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison, of which he has already served three years. He admitted the six charges against him: the intentional murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, which led to an explosion that resulted in the death of a person, illegal possession of explosives, conspiracy to commit a crime, promotion of a group with intent to commit crimes acts and participation in this group. He received a separate presidential pardon for the murder of attorney Carmel Circop in 2015, in which he provided crucial information after confessing to his peripheral involvement in the crime. This pardon does not affect Galizia’s sentence.
Moments after his lawyer read in court Muscat’s change of heart, police went into a secret hideout of brothers Adrian and Robert Agius and accomplice Jamie Vella, arresting the trio for allegedly supplying the bomb he killed. Galicia. Police say more arrests are expected. On Wednesday, local media in Malta reported that three more arrests were imminent, including those related to organized crime in Italy and Malta.
Among Galizia’s many research goals revealed in her blog Running Commentary, which still receives thousands of visits a day according to her children, was the country’s then prime minister, Joseph Muscat (unrelated to Vincent). His wife was tied to the corrupt Pilatius bench on display at the Paners in Panama. Since her assassination, journalists who collaborated in Galicia’s original investigations into the Daphne project have discovered new connections between the Maltese prime minister’s wife and the bank. Muscat relinquished pressure in 2019 over alleged ties to his associates with the assassination.
The former prime minister’s associate, energy tycoon Yorgen Fenech, who was secretary of the property of 17 Black, a company that was a frequent target of Galizia’s journalistic investigations, was arrested on his yacht en route to Italy on December 2019. He is accused of plotting the murder and denies involvement. Preliminary hearings for his trial are scheduled to resume on March 18.
Fenech’s arrest came after taxi driver Melvin Theuma confessed to being an intermediary between Fenech and the accused in carrying out the murder. According to reports, Vincent Muscat’s negotiation includes a testimony that corroborates the taxi driver’s claims. Fenech has secured a presidential pardon and full protection in exchange for his testimony. The Daphne Project reporting consortium has 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 she could expose 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 following Muscat’s request. “This development will begin the path to total justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia,” they said, adding that her murder “destroyed her right to life and removed her right to enjoy her life.” family and grandchildren who were born after his murder “.
The lawyer for the Galizia family read the statement in court. “The macabre murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia was intentional and could have been avoided. The victim paid with her life and her family is paying for the loss of her loved one, “he said.” I said all this today because if Daphne’s family had to respond to the negotiation based on her emotions, his answer would be obvious. “
Maltese blogger Manuel Delia, who has written a book on the case, warns that Vincent Muscat’s confession does not resolve the case. “Muscat is at the bottom in the brutal order of stings of this mafia. He’s not even a button man. He is a gopher who has seen things and remembered them and, at a time when he came to face a possible life sentence, he has used what he has seen and remembered to negotiate a reduced sentence for himself, ”he said. Tuesday. “Upon hearing his confession, his admission of guilt is a small step in the sad, long and hitherto fruitless search for justice.”