Public Inquiry’s autonomy must be respected - Daphne Foundation

As the public inquiry deadline looms closer, the Daphne Foundation is calling on the Prime Minister and persons in political office to respect the autonomy of the inquiry and to implement the report in full once it is concluded.

“In its first year, the public inquiry has made important, visible progress in its mission to investigate whether the Maltese state facilitated or failed to prevent Daphne’s assassination, to establish whether the state allowed an environment of impunity for serious crime to develop, and to determine whether the state has fulfilled and is fulfilling its positive obligation to protect individuals at risk, particularly in the case of journalists,” the foundation says.

“It is only if the public inquiry completes its mission, as set out in its Terms of Reference, that lessons can be learnt from Daphne’s assassination, however uncomfortable this process may be for those who bear responsibility. And it is only then that Malta can begin a process of real change that ensures nothing like this ever happens again, to our country’s institutions or to one of our journalists.”

A public inquiry into the murder was given a go-ahead by Former PM Joseph Muscat in December 2019, with the inquiry board given a nine-month deadline to reach a conclusion.

In light of the closure of law courts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the inquiry board wrote to the Prime Minister in the hope of receiving a deadline extension. In response, Robert Abela granted a one-time extension until mid-December of this year.

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