Maltese courts ordered an investigation on Monday against former island police chief Lawrence Cutajar on suspicion of contact with those involved in the 2017 murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia .
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According to witnesses interviewed at a public hearing, Lawrence Cutajar met a man whom the justice system considers to be an intermediary in the murder of the journalist and asked him in particular where a recording considered important in this case is located. Lawrence Cutajar resigned from his post as chief of police in January, under pressure from civil society, but the opening of the investigation marks another step in the search for the truth about this crime.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, a journalist investigating corruption in Malta, was killed by the explosion of her car bomb on October 16, 2017. Currently three men considered to be the sole executors of the murder of Daphne Caruana are on trial in Valletta, and a prominent wealthy businessman, Jorge Fenech, was charged with aiding and abetting as he attempted to flee on his yacht in mid-November. His arrest led to the resignation of the Minister of Tourism (and previously of Energy), Konrad Mizzi, and Keith Schembri, at the time chief of staff to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.
When questioned by the police, Keith Schembri was released without prosecution, while Jorge Fenech designated him as the "true sponsor" of the murder. By digging into the Maltese part of the famous Panama Papers, the journalist had revealed that a Dubai company, 17 Black, had paid 2 million euros to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi for unspecified services. The consortium of journalists Daphne Project, which has resumed its investigations, has revealed that the 17 Black belongs to Fenech. The affair caused a political earthquake on the small island and the departure in January of Joseph Muscat, accused of having interfered and protected his collaborators in the investigation into the murder of the journalist.
Read also: Malta: Investigation into the murder of a journalist must be carried out "without political interference", warns the EU
French justice announced in February the opening of an investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, in order to verify whether the economic activities in France of a suspect could have been used to bribe Maltese officials. The family of this journalist and the organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have filed a complaint for "complicity in assassination" and "corruption" , targeting in particular Jorge Fenech, who owns hotels and a stable of racehorses in France. , Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.