Protestors gathered outside the Home Affairs Ministry on Tuesday, demanding resignations. 

The protestors chanted "mafia", "out", and "complicit", amid shouts for Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri to step down. 

The protest was held after Times of Malta on Sunday reported how former police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar was named in previously unheard recordings discovered by the team investigating Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. 

Cutajar resigned as police chief shortly after Robert Abela took over as prime minister in January. 

After stepping down, Cutajar was given a government consultancy job. That contract was suspended on Monday after Times of Malta’s report. 

The announcement of the suspension came just a few hours after self-confessed murder middleman Melvin Theuma testified in court on the matter. 

Cutajar concedes having met a close associate of Theuma’s during the murder investigation, but insists he did nothing to jeopardise the investigation.  

During Monday’s sitting, Theuma also testified how he had been tipped off about his arrest and believed the information had come from former deputy commissioner Silvio Valletta. Valletta has denied the allegations.

Times of Malta had exposed how Valletta, who used to head the criminal investigation department, had travelled abroad with alleged murder conspirator Yorgen Fenech during the course of the investigation.

The protest was organised by NGOs Repubblika and Occupy Justice. 

The two groups wrote a letter (see attached PDF) to Camilleri, which they read to the protesters.

Robert Aquilina of Repubblika delivered the letter to the ministry and then read it out to the protestors. 

“Do you really expect us to believe Keith Schembri lost his phone?” the letter reads. 

Why was the police not questioning Labour deputy leader Chris Cardona after he was implicated in the murder? And why was former minister Konrad Mizzi being let off the hook?

Aquilina said the NGOs did not believe that all police are corrupt. A large number of officers, he added, feel betrayed. 

The police corps, needs a total rebuild. 

Aquilina said that although Cutajar had been suspended once his alleged meddling had been exposed, the groups did not believe the government had learnt of this on Monday. 

The letter ended with a call for Camilleri’s resignation.