ROME – A partially blind hitman’s confession in the gruesome murder of Maltese muckraker journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has sparked a slew of new arrests in the complicated case.
On Tuesday, a Maltese judge accepted the surprising confession of Vincent Muscat, 57, who originally pleaded innocently with brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio for the detonation of the car bomb that killed Galizia on a country road near her home in Malta in October 2017. The brothers, who also sat in court, maintain their innocent pleas in the case. Muscat’s lawyers say the change in tactics is part of a guilty plea that should get their client out of prison by 2027.
Muscat, who is blind in one eye after being shot at close range in an attempted vendetta murder in April 2014, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday, of which he has already served three years. He acknowledged all six charges against him: the deliberate murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, which triggered an explosion leading to the death of a person, illegal possession of explosives, conspiracy to commit a crime, promotion of a group planning was actions, and participation in such a group. He was separately granted a presidential pardon in the 2015 murder of attorney Carmel Circop, in which he provided crucial information after admitting that he was peripherally involved in that crime. That pardon has no bearing on Galizia’s conviction.
Moments after Muscat’s change of heart was read in court by his lawyer, police stormed into a secret hideout belonging to brothers Adrian and Robert Agius and accomplice Jamie Vella and arrested the trio for allegedly delivering the bomb that killed Galizia . Police say more arrests are expected. On Wednesday, local media outlets in Malta reported that three more arrests were pending, including those linked to organized crime in Italy and Malta.
Galizia’s many research targets revealed on her blog Running Commentary, which her sons say continues to receive thousands of hits a day, including the country’s then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (no relation to Vincent). His wife was tied to the corrupt Pilatius bank disclosed in the Panama Papers. Since her assassination, journalists collaborating in Galizia’s original The Daphne Project investigation have uncovered further links between the Maltese Prime Minister’s wife and the bank. Muscat came under pressure in 2019 over its employees’ alleged links to the murder.
The former prime minister’s employee, energy magnate Yorgen Fenech, who secretly owned 17 Black, a company that has been a frequent target of Galizia’s journalistic investigations, was arrested in December 2019 while on his way to Italy. He is accused of masterminding the murder and denies involvement. Preliminary hearings in his trial are expected 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 murder. Vincent Muscat’s plea reportedly contains testimony confirming the taxi driver’s claims. Fenech has received a presidential pardon and full protection in exchange for his testimony. The Daphne Project reporting consortium has learned that Galizia has received thousands of emails and documents from a company owned by Fenech. Investigators believe she may have been murdered before she could reveal the contents of the documents.
Galizia’s family, who believe she was murdered for coming too close to the crimes of the Maltese political elite, made a tentative statement following Muscat’s plea. “This development will start the road to total justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia,” they said, adding that her murder “destroyed her right to life and nullified her right to enjoy her family and grandchildren born after her murder. . “
The lawyer of the Galizia family read the statement in court. The macabre murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia was deliberate and could have been prevented. The victim pays with her life and her family pays for the loss of their loved one, ”he said. “I said all this today, because if Daphne’s family were to respond to the plea based on their emotions, their response would be clear.”
Maltese blogger Manuel Delia, who has written a book about the case, warns that Vincent Muscat’s confession will not solve the case. “Muscat is at the very bottom of this mafia’s brutal pecking order. He’s not even a buddy. He’s a gopher who has seen things and remembered some and at a time when he faced a possible life sentence, he used what he saw and remembered to negotiate a reduced sentence for himself, ”said he Tuesday. “Hearing his confession, his confession of guilt is a small step in the sad, long and hitherto fruitless quest for justice.”