Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that he is extremely shocked by the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, describing the incident as a “barbaric attack on freedom of expression that goes against every sense of decency and civility”.

This is an attack on freedom of expression, with the PM saying that Daphne Caruana Galizia was one of his harshest critics, on a political and personal level. He condemned this attack which is unacceptable.

He said that he has communicated with the Opposition Leader, Adrian Delia, for this evening’s parliamentary session, during which Delia was supposed to deliver his answer to last week’s budget speech, to be postponed. Instead, the two sides will be making a declaration.

He said that he has personally given personal instructions to the police to take every measure in investigations.

Muscat said that he was the Prime Minister of everyone, and called for national unity in order to defend our principles and rights. He said that he has given instructions to the police to seek assistance from foreign security services to help in the investigation.

PM press conference from The Malta Independent on Vimeo.

PN Leader Adrian Delia condemned the total collapse of rule of law in the four years under the Labour Government, and said that the Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, was partly responsible for Caruana Galizia’s death.

“This is the darkest moment in the country's political history, and nothing will remain the same,” Delia said, describing the killing as “political”.

He went on to call for a truly independent inquiry, given that Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera and Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar beared a significant amount of the journalist’s criticism.

“Our institutions have failed. We cannot have faith in them. They are morally bankrupt.”

Delia praised Caruana Galizia's work as an investigative journalist, highlighting the work she did in “revealing the biggest scandals this country has ever seen under the Labour Government.”