PREVENTABLE

Inquiry Finds Maltese State Responsible for Panama Papers Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Murder

An inquiry into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia placed the blame for her death squarely on the shoulders of the Maltese state.

A 437-page inquiry into the 2017 assassination of Panama Papers journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has found her death could have been prevented—by the Maltese state. Galizia was blown up by a car bomb outside her home after years of reporting on corruption among Malta’s government officials. The inquiry blamed those officials for not protecting her and for creating an environment in which her reporting was seen as a threat to them. “The tentacles of impunity then spread to other regulatory bodies and the police, leading to a collapse in the rule of law,” the report states. “The state failed to recognize the real and immediate risks to Caruana Galizia’s life. It also failed to take reasonable steps to avoid these risks.” Malta’s former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat resigned after the murder amid allegations that his right-hand man Keith Schembri was involved. One man has been convicted and two others await trial for carrying out the assassination. Malta will conduct a parliamentary hearing Friday to discuss the inquiry.