In a written question to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee of Ministers, Pieter Omtzigt, Dutch representative and rapporteur at the Council of Europe and critical rapporteur, has called on Malta to close the investigation and bring those involved to trial, Euractiv reports.

Caruana Galizia was murdered in October 2017 when a bomb in her car was remotely detonated shortly after she left her home in Bidnija, Malta. Yet almost six years later, the alleged mastermind, a local businessman close to the ruling Labour Party government, Yorgen Fenech, is yet to face trial.

“When will the Committee of Ministers take action to encourage Malta to complete the implementation, to international standards, all of the recommendations of the public inquiry, ensuring transparency at all stages of the process and to ensure Malta is making sufficient progress in bringing the accused to trial without delay?” Omtzigt asked.

A public inquiry into the murder was launched only under significant pressure from the CoE and the EU, as the Maltese government said there was no need for one. While the criminal proceedings initiated by the Maltese authorities solely focused on identifying those criminally responsible, the Public Inquiry took a broader approach and considered the circumstances of DaphnOmtzigt as integral in pushing for the inquiry and, as author of the report, made several recommendations “to address organised crime and corruption and to protect the lives of journalists and strengthen public interest in journalism.”

But Malta has not implemented the recommendations, he said.

See full report here