The Maltese police have far from called it a day on their investigation into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia after three people were charged with the crime, and they are still actively investigating who could have been behind the heinous crime that continues to shock four months after the murder.
Sources within the police force speaking to this newspaper on condition of anonymity have said that Europol is still actively engaged in and is working closely with the Maltese police on the investigation. Europol has, in the past, provided its technical expertise in terms of access to the agency’s specialised databases that collate information and links to organised crime, drugs, money laundering and other major criminal threats.
Since a car bomb claimed Caruana Galizia’s life on 16 October, three men have been arraigned for having planted and detonated the device, but those who may have commissioned the crime have remained in the shadows.
And while many have perhaps assumed the case to have been closed with the arraignments, sources close to the investigation speaking to this newspaper have said that this is far from the case and that investigations into who could have commissioned the murder are going ahead full throttle.
Sources said, “Of course we are still working on all angles and investigations did not stop with the arraignments. We have never negated the possibility that the murder was commissioned. In fact we are working closely with Europol on this.”
However, sources added that so far those investigations have failed to yield any concrete results: “Till now investigations have not led us to any particular person or people and while it is proving very difficult we are not giving up by any means.”
The same police sources have also confirmed that to this day the three people accused of the murder are still to utter a single word since their arrest, despite the fact that the possibility of a presidential pardon in return for spilling the beans has been placed on the table.
Investigators have over the past months told this newspaper that they would not object to the granting of presidential pardons for those who have been arraigned, as long as they cough up the name or names of whoever commissioned the deed.
Sources at the time had said, “We have been monitoring this group for ages and finally they made a mistake and we could nail them. Our main aim is that they never get out of there [prison].
“But if it [a presidential pardon] helps us find who commissioned the murder, if there was indeed a mandante [sender, the person who commissioned the crime], then of course we would not object to it.
“Our aim, after all, is to close this case.”
Three men are currently facing charges for the 16 October car bomb that claimed Caruana Galizia’s life and have been charged with murder, conspiracy, forming part of a criminal gang, using explosives to kill, being in possession of explosives and relapsing.
They are: Vince Muscat, 55, also known as 'il-Kohhu', and brothers Alfred Degiorgio, 52, 'il-Fulu' and George Degiorgio, 54, 'ic-Ciniz'. The next hearing will be held on 26 March.