The family of Daphne Caruana Galizia has welcomed the findings of a public inquiry into her assassination, saying they confirm what the family believed from the moment of the journalist's murder.

In a statement released hours after the inquiry report was published, they said they hoped the findings would restore rule of law to Malta.

The inquiry - led by three judges - found that the state should bear responsibility for the October 2017 assassination.

Earlier, one of the journalist's three sons, Paul Caruana Galizia said his mother would have been alive had it not been for the "total collapse of the rule of law" generated by those in the heart of government. 

“It's been like one long day since we started hammering out Malta's first public inquiry in November 2017 with all our exceptional, tireless, brave lawyers," he said.

"Today: The State of Malta must be held responsible for my mother's assassination."

The mourning Caruana Galizia siblings, from left, Paul, Andrew and Matthew and husband Peter. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

In the statement, issued by the Daphne Caruana Galizia foundation, the family said her work would live on in ensuring the recommendations of the inquiry were enacted.

"The inquiry’s findings confirm the conviction our family held from the moment Daphne was assassinated: that her assassination was a direct result of the collapse of the rule of law and the impunity that the State provided to the corrupt network she was reporting on," they said.

"We hope that its findings will lead to the restoration of the rule of law in Malta, effective protection for journalists, and an end to the impunity that the corrupt officials Daphne investigated continue to enjoy."

The inquiry demanded that the state should formally acknowledge the "grave shortcomings" of Joseph Muscat's administration leading up to the 2017 car bomb.

It also called for change in the relationship between business and government, the police force, and the protection of journalists.