Yahoo – AFP,
Robin MILLARD, October 19, 2017
Valletta
(AFP) - The sons of a murdered Maltese journalist on Thursday dismissed Prime
Minister Joseph Muscat's offer of a reward to help find her killers and called
for him to quit.
Muscat has
ruled out quitting and has vowed to bring those responsible for killing a
reporter he has described as his "greatest adversary" to justice,
with the help of FBI investigators.
On
Wednesday Muscat told parliament that the government would put up a "substantial
and unprecedented reward," for information leading to a conviction over
Monday's car bomb killing of anti-corruption campaigner Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Her sons
revealed that the government was putting up a million euros, but said they
would not bow to pressure to endorse the idea.
"We
are not interested in a criminal conviction only for the people in government
who stood to gain from our mother's murder to turn around and say that justice
has been served," they said.
"The
Prime Minister asked for our endorsement. This is how he can get it: show
political responsibility and resign."
Caruana
Galizia had used her widely-read blog to highlight numerous cases of suspected
corruption, including several scandals implicating Muscat's inner circle which
had left her facing a string of legal suits.
Daphne
Caruana Galizia had used her widely read blog to highlight numerous
cases of
suspected corruption (AFP Photo/Matthew Mirabelli)
|
Her sons,
Matthew, Andrew and Paul, said Muscat should resign because he had worked to
"cripple our mother financially and dehumanise her so brutally and
effectively that she no longer felt safe walking down the street.
"And
before resigning he can make his last act in government the replacement of the
Police Commissioner and Attorney General with public servants who won’t be
afraid to act on evidence against him and those he protects."
Muscat
called and won an early election in June after the late journalist said she had
evidence that his wife Michelle was the beneficiary of a secret Panama bank
account.
Caruana
Galizia, 53, alleged the account was used to stash kickbacks from Azerbaijan's
ruling family linked to an Azeri bank gaining a licence to operate in Malta.
Muscat
asked a magistrate to investigate the claims and has vowed to quit if any link
is established between him and hidden offshore accounts.
The
investigation, which the opposition has derided as rigged, is ongoing.
The
journalist's killing has caused shock around the world and prompted much
soul-searching in Malta over whether the country is becoming a cesspit of
corruption against the backdrop of an economic boom which some see as having
allowed both organised crime and a kickbacks culture to flourish.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.