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| Malta in an Uproar Over Killing of an Investigative Journalist | Malta in an Uproar Over Killing of an Investigative Journalist |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| VALLETTA, Malta — The killing of an investigative journalist in Malta has stirred an outcry about corruption and criminality on the island nation, raised concerns about freedom of expression and the rule of law and drawn the attention of Pope Francis. | VALLETTA, Malta — The killing of an investigative journalist in Malta has stirred an outcry about corruption and criminality on the island nation, raised concerns about freedom of expression and the rule of law and drawn the attention of Pope Francis. |
| The journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, died on Monday when the car she was driving exploded. She had spent years exposing corruption and nepotism among the Maltese elite, and made many enemies. | The journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, 53, died on Monday when the car she was driving exploded. She had spent years exposing corruption and nepotism among the Maltese elite, and made many enemies. |
| The killing was condemned by leaders of the European Union — which Malta joined in 2004 — and by the pope, who in a rare message expressing condolences about a private citizen asked the archbishop of Malta to “convey his condolences to her family,” according to a statement that was released on Friday. | The killing was condemned by leaders of the European Union — which Malta joined in 2004 — and by the pope, who in a rare message expressing condolences about a private citizen asked the archbishop of Malta to “convey his condolences to her family,” according to a statement that was released on Friday. |
| The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally been hostile to Malta’s Labour Party, which has been running the country since 2013 and recently infuriated the church by legalizing same-sex marriage. | The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally been hostile to Malta’s Labour Party, which has been running the country since 2013 and recently infuriated the church by legalizing same-sex marriage. |
| The killing has put the Labour government, led by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, under the spotlight. This year, Ms. Caruana Galizia, using some of the leaked Panama Papers, accused Mr. Muscat’s wife of using a secret shell company that received unexplained payments from the ruling family of Azerbaijan, an allegation Mr. Muscat denied. | |
| Mr. Muscat said in an interview that, because of the wide range of people who came under scrutiny from Ms. Caruana Galizia, “it would be rushing to conclusions to just point a finger in one direction.” | Mr. Muscat said in an interview that, because of the wide range of people who came under scrutiny from Ms. Caruana Galizia, “it would be rushing to conclusions to just point a finger in one direction.” |
| He acknowledged that “it is a difficult case” but added: “I want to make sure as prime minister that our investigators have the necessary resources and know-how to get to the bottom of this.” | He acknowledged that “it is a difficult case” but added: “I want to make sure as prime minister that our investigators have the necessary resources and know-how to get to the bottom of this.” |
| But at a shambolic news conference on Thursday evening, Malta’s police commissioner, Lawrence Cutajar, only deepened a sense among many Maltese that the country’s police force had little chance of finding the culprit, despite being aided by investigators from the F.B.I. and the Netherlands. | But at a shambolic news conference on Thursday evening, Malta’s police commissioner, Lawrence Cutajar, only deepened a sense among many Maltese that the country’s police force had little chance of finding the culprit, despite being aided by investigators from the F.B.I. and the Netherlands. |
| Six previous car bombings since last year, all of them involving people linked to criminal groups, have gone unsolved. | Six previous car bombings since last year, all of them involving people linked to criminal groups, have gone unsolved. |
| Mr. Cutajar did not provide many answers; he reacted with irritation when a reporter pointed out that he, too, had been a target of Ms. Caruana Galizia’s reports. | Mr. Cutajar did not provide many answers; he reacted with irritation when a reporter pointed out that he, too, had been a target of Ms. Caruana Galizia’s reports. |
| A flurry of online petitions initiated by supporters and foes of the government have alternately praised and denounced Mr. Muscat’s handling of the case. | A flurry of online petitions initiated by supporters and foes of the government have alternately praised and denounced Mr. Muscat’s handling of the case. |
| The opposition leader, Adrian Delia, has seized on the murder to demand the resignation of the prime minister, the police commissioner and various officials appointed by Mr. Muscat. “We do not have faith in the police force,” he said in an interview. “It is not there to protect us but is a puppet of the political leadership.” The murder, he said, was “ not a one-off fluke” but a sign that the country’s “institutions are being dismantled.” | The opposition leader, Adrian Delia, has seized on the murder to demand the resignation of the prime minister, the police commissioner and various officials appointed by Mr. Muscat. “We do not have faith in the police force,” he said in an interview. “It is not there to protect us but is a puppet of the political leadership.” The murder, he said, was “ not a one-off fluke” but a sign that the country’s “institutions are being dismantled.” |
| Simon Busutti, the former leader of the opposition, said on Friday that he was “embarrassed” by the police commissioner’s fumbling and evasive performance. “I thought I was watching a third world country,” he said. | Simon Busutti, the former leader of the opposition, said on Friday that he was “embarrassed” by the police commissioner’s fumbling and evasive performance. “I thought I was watching a third world country,” he said. |
| The Malta Independent, a leading newspaper, also mocked the police commissioner, saying on Friday that his news conference had clarified only one thing: Mr. Cutajar “has to go, now.” | |
| Malta has had five police commissioners since the Labour Party came to power in 2013, a constant reshuffling of law enforcement leadership that Mr. Muscat, the prime minister who made the changes, said “is not something I’m proud of.” | Malta has had five police commissioners since the Labour Party came to power in 2013, a constant reshuffling of law enforcement leadership that Mr. Muscat, the prime minister who made the changes, said “is not something I’m proud of.” |
| Mr. Muscat’s political opponents accuse him of neutering the police force for political reasons so as to save his allies from serious investigations into allegations of secret offshore bank accounts, kickbacks, money laundering and other forms of corruption. Many of these allegations arose from the writings of Ms. Caruana Galizia. | Mr. Muscat’s political opponents accuse him of neutering the police force for political reasons so as to save his allies from serious investigations into allegations of secret offshore bank accounts, kickbacks, money laundering and other forms of corruption. Many of these allegations arose from the writings of Ms. Caruana Galizia. |
| Under pressure from the European Union to ensure that her murder is properly investigated, Mr. Muscat said ahead of a summit meeting in Brussels that Malta would consider asking the police agency Europol to get involved and promised to “stop at nothing” to find out who killed the journalist. | Under pressure from the European Union to ensure that her murder is properly investigated, Mr. Muscat said ahead of a summit meeting in Brussels that Malta would consider asking the police agency Europol to get involved and promised to “stop at nothing” to find out who killed the journalist. |
| In an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday, Matthew Caruana Galizia, one of the victim’s three sons, said his mother had been “assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it.” He blamed the police, writing that it was “incompetence and negligence that resulted in a failure to prevent this from happening.” | In an emotional Facebook post on Tuesday, Matthew Caruana Galizia, one of the victim’s three sons, said his mother had been “assassinated because she stood between the rule of law and those who sought to violate it.” He blamed the police, writing that it was “incompetence and negligence that resulted in a failure to prevent this from happening.” |
| On Thursday, Mr. Galizia said his family had refused a request from the government to endorse a reward of one million euros for information leading to the conviction of his mother’s killer. Instead, the family assailed “the people in government who stood to gain from our mother’s murder” and called for Mr. Muscat to step down. | On Thursday, Mr. Galizia said his family had refused a request from the government to endorse a reward of one million euros for information leading to the conviction of his mother’s killer. Instead, the family assailed “the people in government who stood to gain from our mother’s murder” and called for Mr. Muscat to step down. |
| “A government and a police force that failed our mother in life will also fail her in death,” the son wrote. “The people who for as long as we can remember sought to silence our mother cannot now be the ones to deliver justice.” | “A government and a police force that failed our mother in life will also fail her in death,” the son wrote. “The people who for as long as we can remember sought to silence our mother cannot now be the ones to deliver justice.” |