The President of the European Parliament, Maltese MEP Roberta Metsola, stressed that true justice extends beyond those who executed the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and that it must also encompass whoever ordered, financed, assisted, and covered it up.

Addressing the State of the Nation conference, Metsola called upon the Maltese State to do everything in its power shed light on this.

"It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we remove what is wrong, and leave a State, leave a country for those coming after us, better than we found it," she said.

Metsola's speech focused on this week's verdict as she believes that Malta's future cannot be discussed properly, as the conference's theme suggests, without confronting its present state.

"The people of Malta and Gozo have a right to a State that works for the citizen - the citizen must be sure that the State is on their side, not on the side of power," she said.

The European Parliament President paid tribute to Caruana Galizia, describing the journalist's pen as a shield for truth for a nation fighting corruption and abuse of power, and commended her work.

She stated that those who wished to silence her throughout her life and through her assassination failed to do so, as her legacy shall continue to live on.

She reaffirmed her commitment for full justice, political integrity, and institutional accountability to ensure a better future for generations to come.