MEP David Casa has followed up his letter to the EU Council president asking him to intervene in Malta’s political crisis with similar ones to the new presidents of the European Commission and European Parliament.



The trio of letters means Mr Casa has now officially reached out to the leaders of all three of the European Union’s major political institutions, following fallout in Malta stemming from the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.



Incoming Commission president Ursula von der Leyen received a letter from Mr Casa within minutes of assuming office on Tuesday.



In it, he said that Malta “is on the precipice” and it was “insane” for Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to hold onto power in such circumstances.



Mr Casa used strong language in the letter, saying that “a government that murders its own citizens has absolutely no place in the European Union,” and urged president Von der Leyen to use “every possible tool” at her disposal to “restore the rule of law” in the country.



He also sent a copy of the letter to EU Commissioner Vĕra Jourová, who is responsible for rule of law issues in the Von der Leyen commission.

Ms Von der Leyen will assume office on Sunday, having won MEPs' approval in a vote on Wednesday.



Mr Casa wrote a similar letter to European Parliament president David Maria Sassoli.

Two days ago Mr Casa sent a letter to outgoing EU Council president Donald Tusk and urged him to get the EU Council to “intervene to help safeguard Malta’s democracy”.

Malta's government was rocked by three resignations on Tuesday, with ministers Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona forced out and the Prime Minister's chief of staff Keith Schembri resigning before being arrested.

Read Mr Casa's letter to Ursula von der Leyen below