Daphne Caruana Galizia, who wrote a popular anti-corruption blog, was killed by a car bomb outside her home

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Following international pressure, the government of Malta has said it will launch an independent public inquiry into the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Caruana Galizia, who wrote a popular anti-corruption blog, was killed by a car bomb outside her home on the island on 16 October 2017.

Europe’s chief human rights watchdog, the Council of Europe, said in June that the failure to identify who was behind the murder raised questions about the rule of law in Malta.

It gave Maltese authorities until 26 September to start a public inquiry aimed at establishing whether the journalist’s death could have been prevented.

Three men have been under arrest since December 2017 and are due to stand trial for the murder. However, police are continuing their investigations to try to find out who ordered the killing, and why.

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The Malta government said the prime minister, Joseph Muscat, had appointed retired judge Michael Mallia to preside over the inquiry. He would be assisted by a law professor and a retired forensics expert.

The government said that the independent review must not prejudice the active criminal investigation. It added that the inquiry should conclude its work within nine months.

Muscat, a frequent target of Caruana Galizia’s writings, has offered a €1m ($1.1m) reward for information leading to the arrest of those behind her killing.

Caruana Galizia published accusations of corruption, money laundering and influence-peddling by people at the highest levels of Maltese society, all of which they denied.

Her family have repeatedly demanded a public inquiry, saying it was the best hope of uncovering the truth.