Chairman for the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has formally dropped a libel case previously instituted against slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Caruana Galizia was brutally murdered through the use of a car bomb placed in/on the rented vehicle she was driving just metres down the road from her residence in Bidnija.

The libel case was instituted over comments that Caruana Galizia allowed to feature underneath a blog-post she penned about Pullicino Orlando.

He was the only one to concretely state that he would be dropping the case in order to show sensitivity during such a difficult time in the Caruana Galizia family’s life days after her murder in a story which featured on The Malta Independent on Sunday.

Representing Pullicino Orlando, lawyer Stephanie Abela formally filed a note during this morning’s sitting informing the court of her client’s wish to cede the case.

Husband of the slain journalist, Peter Caruana Galizia was present in court during this morning’s sitting.

His late wife often targeted Pullicino Orlando on her blog, criticising him for what she deemed to be unacceptable behaviour by a public person.