An alleged money launderer may be offered a pardon deal after claiming he has information about the assassination of a journalist in Malta.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said he offered an official pardon to the suspect if his evidence leads to the arrest of the mastermind behind the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The suspect, who was arrested last week, has "indicated they were in possession of evidence to corroborate their information", Mr Muscat said.

He is alleged to have acted as a middleman between whoever ordered the killing and those who carried it out.

Image: Police and forensic experts inspect the wreckage of a car bomb believed to have killed the investigative journalist

Ms Caruana Galizia, a leading investigative journalist described as a "one-woman WikiLeaks", was responsible for corruption exposés targeting high-profile figures - including Mr Muscat and opposition figures.


Evidence presented in court by prosecutors over the last two years has suggested that the 53-year-old was killed by a bomb activated by a mobile phone.

Three suspects were arrested after an extensive manhunt and have pleaded not guilty during pre-trial proceedings.

The trial has not yet begun and the mastermind has also yet to be identified.

The suspect with apparent information, who has not been identified, was arrested in a crackdown on money laundering and is being held under police protection.

Before her death, Ms Caruana Galizia had reported receiving threats to police.

Her reporting included examining Malta content in the leaked documents in the Panama Papers financial scandal.

Ms Caruana Galizia's family has repeatedly called on Malta's government to hold an independent public inquiry into the murder and into whether the government could have acted to prevent it.