Prime Minister Robert Abela now bears "political responsibility" to ensure that Malta's institutions act on the recommendations of the public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the Nationalist Party said on Wednesday.
PN MP Darren Carabott was speaking at a press conference held a week after businessman Yorgen Fenech was acquitted of involvement in Caruana Galizia's murder by an 8-1 jury verdict.
Carabott said the PN respected the verdict, but stressed that the acquittal did not mean justice had been achieved for the country or Caruana Galizia's family.
"The responsibility now falls on Prime Minister Robert Abela, as it is up to the government of Malta to ensure the institutions work as they should," he said.
Carabott said the trial had produced not only a verdict but also a judgment in which the court called for further police investigations. He said testimony had also raised concerns about possible interference with, or attempts to tamper with, the course of justice, which he argued should be investigated.
The PN played clips from Fenech's police interrogations, in which he alleged that "it all started from Keith Schembri", the former chief of staff to then prime minister Joseph Muscat.
In another clip, Fenech alleged that Schembri wanted Caruana Galizia killed and claimed that another person knew about this. He identified that person as Muscat, saying the former prime minister may not have known beforehand but knew afterwards, when he summoned Fenech to Castille.
"There are two options: Fenech was either lying or telling the truth," Carabott said, arguing that such allegations required the government to ensure that the full truth emerged.
He accused Abela of shutting down discussion instead of answering questions and said the Prime Minister now carried political responsibility for ensuring that the institutions investigated the allegations.
Carabott also questioned whether the government's position was linked to the possibility of an election being called "one year before" its expected date.
PN deputy leader Alex Perici Calascione said developments during and after the trial had painted "an ugly and worrying" picture of the country.
He said the trial had exposed a network of organised crime that had operated with the support of political power and the circles surrounding it.
Perici Calascione called for the immediate implementation of the conclusions of the public inquiry, noting that Malta had been waiting for more than five years for its recommendations to be acted upon.
The inquiry, which examined the circumstances surrounding Caruana Galizia's assassination, issued recommendations in 2021 covering legislation, the justice system and the treatment of the media.
PN MP George Vital Zammit said the culture of impunity identified by the inquiry had not been eradicated. He pointed to international coverage of the Fenech case, including an Observer headline describing Malta as a place "where the powerful can get away with murder".