The Civil Society network have called on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to immediately remove Maltese legislation such as garnishee orders and criminal libel, claiming to be legislation "reminiscent of times gone by".

This comes after Minister Chris Cardona and his EU presidency policy officer Joseph Gerada filed four precautionary warrants which froze €47,460 of Mrs Caruana Galizia's bank account.

The group have condemned Minister Chris Cardona's garnishee order  against journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia saying that this would set "a dangerous precedent against journalists and civil society, irrespective of their beliefs. "