AG prosecutor Karl Muscat died of heart failure, autopsy finds

Karl Muscat, the prosecutor at the Attorney General's office who was found dead in his Swieqi home on Wednesday, died of cardiorespiratory failure, according to an autopsy.

In a statement, police said that the autopsy found no signs of violence or injuries.

"The body had no signs of violence on it or any other signs of injuries which could indicate that he defended himself from any aggression," the statement reads.

The statement makes no reference to any toxicology tests. Police investigations and the magisterial inquiry are still ongoing. 

Muscat was found dead in his Swieqi home last Wednesday. Police initially did not believe that any third parties were involved, but added that nothing was being excluded.

“The way the body was found means nothing can be excluded until the exact cause of death is established by an autopsy,” a police spokesperson told the media on Wednesday.

According to information received at MaltaToday, Muscat had recently been suspended from duties over what has been described as a contravention committed under the influence of alcohol.

A source with knowledge of the proceedings added that suspension was a standard procedure whenever a prosecutor faces any charges.

Muscat was formerly a Nationalist Party local councillor for Rabat, elected in 2019. He resigned in October 2020 to take up his post with the Office of the Attorney General. 

It was at 12:45pm that police received information that a man had been found dead in a Swieqi residence. His relatives were the one who made the call. A medical team was called on the scene to assist the victim, but he was declared dead on the spot.

The prosecutor had earned praise from the Maltese courts for attending several high-profile money laundering sittings instead of his colleagues when they were on strike.

In March Magistrate Donatella Frendo Dimech Court praised lawyer Karl Muscat for his dedication in the proceedings against Yorgen Fenech, the man accused of masterminding the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and Vince Buhagiar, the former chairman of Progress Press and Allied Group director accused of laundering kickbacks from former OPM Chief of Staff Keith Schembri’s Kasco Group.

Muscat was also leading the case against Ryan Schembri, the former More Supermarkets owner, who had fled the country in 2014 with a reported €40 million in debts.

Muscat was also representing the AG’s office in the proceedings against Christian Borg and five others individuals, accused of kidnapping a man in Rabat and threatening to cut off his fingers and rape his sister.