The International Press Institute has called for George Degiorgio’s request for a reduced sentence to be rejected.

In a social media post on Tuesday, it wrote that Degiorgio, “who jointly planted the car bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia”, should have his request for a reduced sentence “firmly rejected”. IPI added that Degiorgio’s 40-year sentence “is already less than the life sentence he deserves”.

Degiorgio has recently requested a presidential pardon in exchange for details regarding the 2014 murder of Jonathan Pace, the businessman behind Tyson Butcher.

In a sworn application submitted on 3 September, Degiorgio's legal team asked for full immunity for crimes committed prior to December 2017. In exchange, he pledged to disclose information about an extensive network of criminal acts, including homicides and bomb plots.

In the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, Degiorgio requested that his 40-year sentence be reduced to 15 years. He had previously admitted to participating in the 2017 killing.