Respecting a verdict does not mean closing our eyes to the questions that remain.

Almost nine years after Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated by a car bomb, Malta still does not know who commissioned her murder. That is also the fundamental starting point of the position we have taken: respect the judicial process, but recognise that justice remains incomplete.

Men have been convicted for carrying out the killing and for supplying the bomb. Yet the central question, who ordered the assassination of a journalist whose work had exposed some of the most powerful interests in this country, remains unanswered.

That is why the verdict cannot be treated as closure. If anything this verdict has created more questions than answers. Nine years and we are exactly where we started...

This is not a partisan position. The Institute of Maltese Journalists said that the verdict must be respected but that it does not close the case. Repubblika made essentially the same point: an acquittal does not erase the questions that remain. Independent editorials have reached a similar conclusion: a verdict has been delivered, but justice in its wider sense remains unfinished.

Most importantly, the court itself has made clear that the story does not end here.

Madam Justice Edwina Grima ordered that testimony emerging from the trial concerning third parties be referred to the Police Commissioner so investigators can determine whether other people may be criminally liable.

That direction cannot be filed away. Every lead must be investigated independently, seriously and without political interference.

The prosecution has also indicated that it intends to appeal the acquittal, within the limited grounds available at law. That process must be allowed to take its course without interference.

But prudence cannot become an excuse for institutional silence.

The complete absence of the AG during the trial and a number of questionable decisions taken continue to support what the Nationalist Party have been saying for years...the AG should resign. And questions being made about past decisions answered.

After nine years, the Maltese public is entitled to ask whether our institutions performed as they should, whether mistakes were made, whether opportunities were missed, and who must carry responsibility for them. An important argument was made this week that institutional prudence cannot mean that the country simply stops asking questions.

That includes the office of the Attorney General.

The Opposition has long expressed a lack of confidence in the present leadership of that office. This should not be reduced to anger over one jury verdict. Institutional credibility is built over time.

A justice system cannot demand blind trust from citizens. It must earn confidence through competence, consistency, transparency and accountability.

The Prime Minister has defended Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg and warned against statements that could prejudice a possible appeal. That caution cannot permanently remove the legitimate question of institutional responsibility or prevent scrutiny once the legal process permits it.

There is also a much larger issue Malta cannot continue postponing: the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Public Inquiry.

The inquiry was not a party document. It was conducted by three judges. Its conclusions led to recommendations concerning the protection of journalists, the rule of law, corruption, organised crime, governance and the strengthening of our institutions.

International institutions have continued to emphasise their importance. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has described full implementation of the inquiry's recommendations as a priority and called for reforms strengthening journalist protection, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

Five years after that report, implementation remains unfinished.

The Opposition has proposed something concrete: Parliament should recognise full implementation as an obligation of the State and require the outstanding recommendations to be implemented by the end of October.

A government that says it wants justice should not fear that debate.

And there is one line Malta must never cross again: the demonisation of journalists and their families.

Daphne and, subsequently, her family have endured years of attacks. Political leaders cannot condemn hatred in principle while tolerating it from people around them. Silence in the face of such behaviour risks normalising it.

This moment must therefore be about more than one accused, one verdict or one political party.

It is about whether Malta is prepared to learn.

Respect the jury. Respect the courts. Let the appeal process work. But investigate every lead. Demand accountability from every institution. Implement the public inquiry in full. Protect journalists before intimidation becomes normal.

Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. Someone ordered that murder.

Until the whole truth is established and every person criminally responsible is brought before justice, Malta cannot honestly say that this chapter is closed.

A free country does not fear questions. A serious democracy does not run from accountability. And justice cannot have an expiry date.

Ivan Castillo is Opposition Whip &Shadow Minister for Sustainable Mobility