Following various meetings held between representatives of the Government of Malta and the family of the late Daphne Caruana Galizia and their representatives, agreement was reached on changes to both the composition of the Board of Independent Public Inquiry and the terms of reference relative to the same Board.
Mr Justice Emeritus Michael Mallia is retaining his post as Chairperson. Agreement was reached on Chief Justice Emeritus Joseph Said Pullicino and Judge Abigail Lofaro as the new members.
In a statement, the Government said that “Professor Ian Refalo and Dr Anthony Abela Medici, who were nominated as members on the Board, retracted their acceptance to serve on the Board in view of this agreement”. It also added that as a sign of goodwill during the talks, the relative oath requested by law prior to the commencement of the Inquiry was not administered to any of the members of the Board.
The Times reports that in a tweet, Andrew Caruana Galizia – one of Ms Caruana Galizia’s sons – wrote that the talks were “one of the most painful fights we have ever fought – and it must continue”. “We had to negotiate with people who bear responsibility for my mother’s assassination,” he wrote.
We had to negotiate with people who bear responsibility for my mother’s assassination. It was one of the most painful fights we ever fought – and it must continue. This inquiry has to be effective or Malta will never learn and never change. https://t.co/3HKK2fJToN
— Andrew Caruana Galizia (@acaruanagalizia) November 15, 2019
In a statement the Caruana Galizia family, through the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation said that the calls from civil society, the Council of Europe, and their family for an independent and impartial public inquiry have finally been heard.
In the statement, the it said that “The Maltese Government must now give the Board of Inquiry its full support and co-operation so that the wider circumstances surrounding our wife and mother’s assassination are investigated without further delay, lessons can be learned and full, restorative justice for the country can follow. We hope that the evidence gathered by the inquiry will prevent other journalists losing their lives in Malta and beyond. We expect that the inquiry will have sufficient resources to complete its work in good time and that the government will promptly implement any recommendations.”
Meetings leading to this agreement were attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister for Justice, Culture and Local Government and the Attorney General from the government’s side, and Dr Joseph Zammit Maempel, Dr Therese Comodini Cachia and members of the Caruana Galizia family.
The terms of reference, obliges the Board of Inquiry to present the report
(a) to the Prime Minister and
(b) to the Attorney General.
It also obliges the Board of Inquiry to give public notice that it has concluded its report and that it has presented a copy thereof to the Prime Minister and publish the report within eight working days from the date on which it delivers a copy thereof to the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister shall table the report in Parliament within five working days from its receipt. In relation to the report which is to be published, the Board of Inquiry shall have the power to restrict the disclosure of those parts of the report which it considers to be necessary to safeguard data protection, public safety, national security, ongoing or future criminal investigation and where the publication of such information may endanger a person’s physical safety, and it shall clearly indicate the parts that should not be published.
The terms of reference stipulate that should the Board consider it necessary to so restrict the disclosure of parts of its report, the Board shall be bound to provide the family of the deceased with the opportunity to read the full unredacted report without however being granted copies of the text underlying any redactions, and being bound with not divulging the restricted contents
Via Times of Malta / Newsbook / Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation / Twitter / Government of Malta
