The government has once again advised the President to refuse a pardon request by George and Alfred Degiorgio.
In a short statement, the government said that it had advised the President not to accept the request for pardon and that it was doing so in conformity with advice from the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner.
The statement reads that the decision is not just based on the advice of the relevant institutions, but also on the national interest and in the interest of the correct administration of justice.
Brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio wrote to President George Vella requesting a pardon in return for naming a former minister who was a "mastermind" in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia on 23 March.
Their lawyer also said that his clients would also name a middleman "against whom no steps have been taken so far." They said that they could provide "direct and credible information that is not hearsay."
Alfred Degiorgio had also said he is willing to name a former minister and also a sitting minister who were "masterminds" behind an attempted robbery and an attempted homicide, as well as other persons involved in the case.
Their first request for a pardon was refused in April, but a renewed request on the same basis was made soon afterwards.
Like in the decision for the first pardon, Minister Carmelo Abela recused himself from the decision. The government said that his recusal was for the same reason as in the first case.
Back then, the government had said that Carmelo Abela had recused himself from the Cabinet decision because of the "baseless allegations" pushed by PN MP Jason Azzopardi - where Azzopardi alleged that Abela was connected to a failed 2010 heist - which he has filed libel proceedings over.
The Degiorgio brothers are two out of three people who were accused of being the hitmen who killed Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb in October 2017.
The third - Vincent Muscat - pleaded guilty earlier this year in exchange for a 15 year prison sentence in connection to the murder. He has since testified against the brothers in court.