ROME – The confession of a partially blind assassin in the ugly murder of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has triggered a series of new arrests in the complicated case.
On Tuesday, a Maltese judge accepted the surprising plea of guilt of Vincent Muscat, 57, who initially pleaded not guilty along with brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio, for detonating the car bomb that killed Galicia on a country road near her home in Malta in October 2017. The brothers, who were also in the courtroom, maintain their innocent pleas in this case. Muscat’s lawyers say the change in tactics is part of a guilty plea that should see his client in prison by 2027.
Muscat, who is blind in one eye after being shot at a distance 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 all six charges against him: the intentional murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, causing an explosion that led to the death of a person, illegal possession of explosives, conspiracy to commit a crime, promoting a group that intends to commit crimes. acts and participation in such a group. He received a separate presidential pardon in the 2015 assassination of lawyer Carmel Circop, in which he provided crucial information after confessing to his peripheral involvement in that crime. Forgiveness does not affect the conviction in Galicia.
Just moments after Muscat’s change of heart, his lawyer read it in court, police entered a secret hideout of brothers Adrian and Robert Agius and accomplice Jamie Vella, arresting the trio for allegedly supplying the bomb that he killed Galicia. Police say more arrests are expected. On Wednesday, local media in Malta reported that three other arrests were imminent, including those linked to organized crime in Italy and Malta.
Galicia’s numerous investigative targets revealed on her Running Commentary blog, which still receive thousands of hits a day according to her sons, included the country’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat (unrelated to Vincent). His wife was linked to the corrupt Pilatius bank exposed in the Panama Papers. Since her assassination, journalists who collaborated in Galicia’s initial investigations into the Daphne Project have uncovered additional links between the Maltese prime minister’s wife and the bank. Muscat resigned under pressure in 2019 due to the alleged links of his associates to the crime.
Former Prime Minister Yorgen Fenech’s associate, who secretly owned 17 Black, a company that was a frequent target of Galician journalistic investigations, was arrested on his yacht en route to Italy in December 2019. He is accused of conceived the crime 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 charged with the crime. Vincent Muscat’s justification agreement includes testimonies confirming the taxi driver’s claims. Fenech obtained a presidential pardon and full protection in exchange for his testimony. The Daphne Project reporting consortium found out that Galicia had received a cache of thousands of emails and documents related to a company owned by Fenech. Investigators believe she may have been killed before she could disclose the contents of the documents.
The Galician family, which believes it was killed because it came too close to the crimes of Malta’s political elite, issued a cautious statement following Muscat’s plea. “This development will pave the way for total justice for Daphne Caruana Galicia,” they said, adding that her murder destroyed her right to life and deprived her of the right to enjoy the family and grandchildren who were born after her 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 pay for the loss of the loved one “, he said. “I said all this today, because if Daphne’s family were to respond to the fair based on emotions, their response would be obvious.”
Maltese blogger Manuel Delia, who wrote a book about the case, warns that Vincent Muscat’s confession does not solve the case. “Muscat is at the bottom of the brutal order of this mafia. He’s not even a button man. He is a waiter who saw things and remembered some of them and, at a time when he came to face a possible life sentence, he used what he saw and remembered to negotiate. for himself a reduced punishment “, he said on Tuesday. “Hearing his confession, admitting his guilt is a small step in the sad, long and, for the time being, fruitless search for justice.”