Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg said on Sunday that the PN will be exerting the necessary pressure - inside and outside Parliament - for the necessary action to be taken in order for justice to be achieved for Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family.

Borg did not deny the possibility that the PN will call people to the streets.

Speaking to University professor and radio host Andrew Azzopardi during a party activity, Alex Borg stated that the PN will fight for this cause "till its final breath" if it observes that the government is trying to steamroll its way over the country.

This was Borg's first sit-down interview since Yorgen Fenech was liberated from his charges of complicity and conspiracy in the car bomb assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Borg said on Sunday that his party will be there to safeguard citizens' rights if it sees that the government is lacking in this regard. He said that the wound left in Malta's democracy through Caruana Galizia's assassination and its aftermath can begin to close if the government implements all recommendations listed in the 2021 public inquiry into her death.

The Opposition leader noted that "it will not be easy" to reach the light at the end of this tunnel, especially with government propaganda looking to turn this situation into a forgotten "non-issue," Borg said.

Borg declared that the PN has the will to fight for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family, however, this will only be possible if people strongly back the Nationalist Party.

"We can do this if the people back us," Borg said, "If the people back us, we have the power to go all in."

The PN leader said that he does not have any issue in participating in civil society demonstrations calling for justice for Caruana Galizia, such as the protest scheduled for Wednesday, 16 September.

Although, Borg said that the only opposition that can take over government is the Nationalist Party, and, hence, "people must understand that they must unite with the PN to help the country revitalise itself." He argued that Malta needs the PN to govern because "for our country to be free and for institutions to function, those who created the problem cannot offer the solution."

Borg said that he is not the kind of person to take action haphazardly or for nothing, and that he is generally a cautious person. With this, he shared a message to the Prime Minister and the Labour government for them not to take the PN's caution for weakness.

The PN parliamentary group got Parliament to convene early, before the termination of its summer recess, on Friday, less than 48 hours after Fenech's "not guilty" verdict was delivered, to discuss this situation within the House of Representatives.

During this debate, government MPs rejected an urgent parliamentary debate, tabled by the PN, for Parliament to discuss implementing the remaining recommendations within the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry. The Opposition leader said that, through this action, the government denied discussing how to help journalists work with peace of mind.

Borg dismissed the Prime Minister's comments that the Nationalist Party is politicising this situation for political gain, noting that if he truly wanted to earn political points from this saga, he would have had the PN comment on the case every day while the trial was ongoing - especially as high political figures were being mentioned for their alleged involvement, he said.

'I didn't say a word while the jury was ongoing. I could have won many political points if I did,' Borg says

Borg shared that he was under heavy pressure for the PN to speak up whilst the trial was ongoing and while new information into the workings of Caruana Galizia's assassination were being shared out in the open.

"Many people were annoyed, outraged, that the Opposition was silent throughout the trial. It was very difficult, I faced a lot of pressure," he said.

Borg said that he decided that it would be best for the country if he and the PN remained silent on this case until Fenech's trial was over. The PN finally broke its silence on Wednesday evening, when it organised a silent demonstration shortly after Fenech was liberated on both charges he faced.

"Once the verdict was given, I felt that the people must see that, yes, there is a party that wants a better Malta and Gozo and that is on their side," Borg said, "From the facts that came out during the trial, I couldn't not speak up following the verdict."

The prosecution is mulling filing an appeal into the legal circumstances surrounding the case's proceedings; the final verdict cannot be appealed in itself, according to Maltese law.

During this interview, Azzopardi mentioned the Prime Minister's appeal for all comments regarding this situation to be made with caution and prudence. In response, Borg said that while he understands the situation at hand, "people are tired of empty words, they want concrete action." In reference, to Abela's comments, Borg said that investigations weren't influenced or altered in any way through past discussions that occurred since the fatal day in October 2017, "so, who are we kidding?"

He said that the past nine years of investigations and "letting the institutions work" did not lead to justice and "now, we are too late; we need to see how to implement needed reforms and how to seek justice."

Borg stated that this chapter will not close for the country till justice is served.

"Nine years later, we still don't have justice for Daphne. After all this time, the person who masterminded her assassination is out free. That is why the country is in shock," Borg said.

During this interview, Borg said that it is not entirely true that Robert Abela had nothing to do with the previous administration that was in power when Caruana Galizia was killed. He noted how, at the time, Abela was acting as legal advisor to the disgraced Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat.

"Robert Abela was Joseph Muscat's legal advisor when Muscat gave Melvin Theuma the presidential pardon for justice to be sought. But we don't have justice," Borg said.

On Theuma's presidential pardon, Borg did not express an opinion on whether this should still hold valid in his view. He said that this is for the government to decide.

Continuing to reject the notion that Abela's administration can wash its hands from political responsibility over Caruana Galizia's murder, Borg mentioned how the Minister for Home Affairs, Glenn Bedingfield, had used his blog to write heinous comments against the journalist, "came out with the lie about her laptop," and yet is today heading the police.

In this regard, Borg said that the country "cannot expect the minister who attacked Daphne Caruana Galizia ferociously, to the public, to promote independent investigations into this case." Borg called double standards, stating that "the facts show a very different situation to what is being said."

He also said that Castille was mentioned repeatedly throughout the trial as a place of note where things unfolded. Because of this, Borg defended himself for pointing towards Castille on Wednesday evening, saying he didn't do so frivolously.

PN open to amend party financing laws to omit business donations, Borg says

During this interview, Azzopardi asked Borg whether political parties should continue accepting donations from businesses, noting that Yorgen Fenech, as a wealthy businessman, made political connections this way.

Borg said that he is not against revising party financing laws so that parties become more autonomous, though he said he has "serious doubts" that government would be on board to this idea.

PN to continue pressuring government to implement public inquiry recommendations

The Opposition leader pledged that the PN will continue pushing for the government to implement the recommendations listed in the Caruana Galizia public inquiry report, following Friday's blocked discussion.

Calling these recommendations "long overdue," Borg said that the PN parliamentary group remains determined to push the motion to discuss these recommendations in parliament.

He said that these recommendations list several points that could promote good governance and introduce needed laws in Malta. Among these are unexplained wealth orders; for court obstruction to be made a crime, as well as instances where a politician influences court proceedings; and for anti-SLAPP regulations to extend beyond just commercial and civil lawsuits against journalists.

PL reacts

In a statement in reply, the Labour Party said that Alex Borg had once again sustained that he had good reason to point towards Castille and make allegations in connection with the Caruana Galizia murder.

“Since the Opposition Leader is again insisting on making such declarations, the PL expects him to immediately pass on any evidence or information he has in hand to investigators so that they can carry out their investigations and make sure justice is done,” the PL said.

At such a serious moment, there allegations cannot be made for the sake of political convenience, the PL said. The party said that if Borg does not submit this information to authorities, then he is obstructing justice.