Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar ‘refused to see’ a European Parliament delegation investigating the rule of law, the MEPs said in their concluding report. 

According to the delegation, made up of MEPs Ana Gomes, Sven Giegold and David Casa, on the evening before the visit on 1 June, Cutajar wrote to the MEPs and ‘argued in writing’ that ‘they were not a formal EP mission’.

They also raised concern that the police “is ostensibly not following all relevant leads to find out who ordered the assassination” of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

“Excuses provided go from lack of resources to impossibility to investigate all people exposed by the deceased who might have had a motive to silence her,” they wrote.

In their report, the MEPs noted that ‘quite shockingly, the police appeared not to have thoroughly investigated witness accounts’ with regards to Daphne Project claims that Economy Minister Chris Cardona had been seen drinking with one of the suspects prior to their arrest. They expressed their concern for the other cases which are not leading to inquiries, such as the sale of passports, Enemalta Socar contracts, the privatization of public hospitals to unknown owners, oil smuggling from Libya and the American University.

"No communication between the magisterial investigation and that of the police," was also highlighted by the MEPs. “In Malta, it is the police who control the inquiry, not the judiciary,” they said.

The MEPs were informed that ‘magistrates responsible for inquiries on Egrant and FIAU reports are saddled with hundreds of other cases.

The investigation on the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia is also stalling, according to the MEPs.

“People we spoke to suspect that the plan may be to ensure the blame rests with the three suspected bombers and to eventually let them go free, after 20 months of detention.”

They also listed Magistrate Vella being offered a promotion as potentially stalling the investigation. This had also been highighted by Giegold the day after the visit.

“Magistrate Vella, who has been in charge of the murder investigation, has been offered a promotion to become a judge and should, in a few weeks, leave the case,” they said. “This is interpreted by many as a way to delay and stall the investigation.”

Report in full