Daphne

- no title specified

How sad to receive a phone call informing me of the barbaric murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a Maltese journalist specialising in alleged cases of corruption. It seems she had some real enemies, as the bomb placed with the rented car she was driving after leaving her house threw it around 50 metres from where it exploded.

This story reverberated around the world, being mentioned on the ABC in Australia and The Guardian, not unexpected as she had been named by the Politico publication as among the top 28 persons ‘shaping, shaking and stirring’ Europe.1 No less a personality involved controversially in uncovering corruption, Julian Assange, still held up at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, has offered €20,000 for information leading to uncovering who committed this crime.

We have also just heard the Maltese Government offering €1 million for the same aim.

I had written about her investigations in issue 154 of The Voice. That time, she was using documents from the Panama Papers as well as her own investigations to allege corruption at the highest echelons of the Labour government, an allegation reaching up to the family of the Labour leader Joseph Muscat. That story is ongoing.

Since then, Caruana Galizia has penned harshly against the new Nationalist leader, Adrian Delia, about his and his wife’s close friendship with the partner of a personality convicted of drug offences,2 of benefiting financially from prostitution3 and having a large personal debt.

It is clear that Caruana Galizia had enemies within both major political parties in Malta, but not only.

From his part, Prime Minister Muscat seems to have taken steps to insulate himself from being accused of not doing enough for the investigation to have a positive outcome, by authorising police to seek the assistance of the FBI in the US,4 and forensic experts from the Netherlands.

On the other side, the Leader of the Opposition didn’t hold back from already partly blaming the Prime Minister and Labour government, where he described the murder as political.5 I think that such a declaration is premature. Time will tell whether the investigation will highlight the shady role of people associated with Delia’s party.

I have never spoken to Caruana Galizia, with the only time I remember being close to her was when she sat down next to me during some conference in Malta. I naturally recognised her, and remember being marvelled at her petite physique. Truly wise is the Maltese saying roughly equivalent to ‘quality, not quantity’ - ‘l-essenza tinsab fil-fliexken iż-żgħar’.

This atrocious incident took me back to another time, in the eighties when political violence was part and parcel of life in the country. This violence included beatings, buildings being burnt and killings, including notoriously at the general headquarters of the police.

Without a doubt this act has thrown Malta in a very bad light, and it would be good at this time for the Maltese people to get behind and support, in a non-partisan way, the investigation that has to occur.

I have can write nothing other than my profound condolences to the Caruana Galizia family.

I hope and pray, for Malta’s sake, that the fight against corruption is unwavering.

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X’dieqa llum nirċievi telefonata li nfurmatni bil-qtil barbaru ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia, ġurnalista Maltija li kienet tispeċjalizza fil-kxif ta’ korruzzjoni allegata. Jidher li għamlet għedewwa sew, għax il-bomba li tpoġġiet mal-karozza tal-kiri li kienet qed issuq wara li telqet mid-dar tefgħet lill-karozza xi 350 metru ‘l bogħod minn fejn ħadet.

Din l-istorja irriverberat madwar id-dinja, fejn issemmiet fuq l-ABC tal-Awstralja, u The Guardian. Mhux ta’ b’xejn, wara li kienet issemmiet mill-pubblikazzjoni Politico fost it-28 persuni li l-iktar li jiffurmaw, jheżżu u jħarrku lill-Ewropa.1 Xejn inqas minn persunaġġ ieħor involut kontroversjalment fil-kxif tal-korruzzjoni, Julian Assange, li għadu miżmum fl-Ambaxxata tal-Ekwador f’Londra, li joffri €20,000 għal informazzjoni li twassal għall-kxif ta’ min wettaq dan l-att.

G]adna kif smajna wkoll bil-gvern Malti joffri €1 miljun għall-istess għan.

Kont ktibt fuq l-investigazzjoni tagħha fil-ħarġa numru 154 ta’ The Voice. Dakinhar, kienet qed tuża dokumenti mill-imsejħa Panama Papers kif ukoll investigazzjonijiet tagħha biex tallega korruzzjoni fl-ogħla livelli tal-gvern Laburista, allegazzjoni li waslet sal-familja tal-kap Laburista Joseph Muscat. Dik l-istorja għadha għaddejja.

Min dakinhar, Caruana Galizia kitbet bl-aħrax kontra l-kap il-ġdid Nazzjonalista, Adrian Delia, fuq il-ħbiberija kbira tiegħu u ta’ martu mat-tfajla ta’ persunaġġ misjub ħati ta’ offiżi ta’ droga,2 u li bbenefika finanzjarjament mill-prostituzzjoni.3 u li għandu dejn personali kbir.

Huwa ċar li Caruana Galizia kellha għedewwa fiż-żewġ partiti kbar f’Malta, imma mhux biss.

Min-naħa tiegħu, il-Prim Ministru Muscat jidher li jrid jieħu passi biex ma jkunx akkużat li m’għamilx kull ma seta’ biex l-investigazzjoni jkollha eżitu pożittiv, billi awtorizza lill-pulizija jfittxu l-għajnuna tal-aġenzija FBI tal-Istati Uniti4 u esperti tal-forensika mill-Olanda.

Min-naħa l-oħra, il-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni, ma qagħadx lura milli diġà jitfa’ parti mit-tort fuq il-prim ministru u l-gvern Laburista, fejn iddeskriva l-qtil bħala wieħed politiku.5 Jien jidhirli li stqarrija bħal din hija prematura. Naraw ‘il quddiem jekk l-investigazzjoni titfax xi dell ikrah fuq persuni assoċjati mal-partit ta’ Delia.

Jien qatt ma tkellimt ma’ Caruana Galizia, l-uniku darba li niftakar li kont qrib tagħha kien meta poġġiet ħdejja waqt xi konferenza f’Malta. Naturalment għaraftha, u bqajt sorpriż bl-istatura fiżika żgħira tagħha. Tassew, bil-ħsieb jgħid il-Malti li l-essenza tinsab fil-fliexken iż-żgħar.

Dan l-inċident tal-għajb jeħodni lura fi żmien ieħor, fit-tmeninijiet fejn il-vjolenza politika kienet parti mill-istorja tal-pajjiż. Din il-vjolenza kien jinkludi swat, ħruq ta’ bini u anke qtil, inkluż notorjament fil-kwartieri ġenerali tal-pulizija.

Bla dubju li dan l-att jirrifletti ikrah fuq il-pajjiż, u jkun tajjeb li l-poplu Malti jkun solidali u jappoġġja, b’mod mhux partiġġjan, lill-investigazzjoni li trid issir.

Ma baqagħli x’nikteb xejn milli nagħti l-kondoljanzi profondi tiegħi lill-familja Caruana Galizia.

Nitlob, għall-ġieħ ta’ Malta, li l-ġlieda kontra l-korruzzjoni ma tkun mittiefsa qatt.

1http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/Person-dies-as-vehicle-goes-up-in-flames-in-Bidnija-6736180314, retrieved 17/10/2017

2https://daphnecaruanagalizia.com/2017/10/opposition-leaders-wife-says-convicted-drug-dealers-girlfriend-one-closest-trusted-friends-drug-dealers-girlfriend-says-opposition-leaders-wife-close-friends-like/, retrieved 17/10/2017

3https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170824/local/adrian-delia-to-sue-caruana-galizia-over-overseas-funds-claim.656364, retrieved 17/10/2017

4http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/FBI-experts-have-been-contacted-for-assistance-Muscat-6736180317, retrieved 17/10/2017

5http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/Daphne-Caruana-Galizia-murder-Barbaric-attack-Muscat-political-murder-Delia-6736180316, retrieved 17/10/2017

1http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/Person-dies-as-vehicle-goes-up-in-flames-in-Bidnija-6736180314, retrieved 17/10/2017

3https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170824/local/adrian-delia-to-sue-caruana-galizia-over-overseas-funds-claim.656364, retrieved 17/10/2017

4http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/FBI-experts-have-been-contacted-for-assistance-Muscat-6736180317, retrieved 17/10/2017

5http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-10-16/local-news/Daphne-Caruana-Galizia-murder-Barbaric-attack-Muscat-political-murder-Delia-6736180316, retrieved 17/10/2017