The US embassy in Malta has nominated Matthew Caruana Galizia for the US Secretary of State’s International Anti-Corruption Champions award.

Matthew, who is the son of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia – who was assassinated in 2017, is an award-winning investigative journalist. He was nominated "because of his work exposing financial crime, money laundering, and tax evasion".

The US embassy said the award honours individuals who have worked tirelessly, often in the face of adversity, to defend transparency, combat corruption, and ensure accountability in their own countries.

The embassy also noted how Caruana Galizia was a lead engineer in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ (ICIJ) investigations into six major global corruption investigations: Offshore Leaks, Swiss Leaks, Luxembourg Leaks, Fatal Extraction, Panama Papers, and Paradise Papers.