Opposition leader Adrian Delia on Saturday appealed to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to meet the Caruana Galizia family to discuss their concerns about the board of inquiry into the journalist's murder appointed on Friday.

This was necessary for the sake of the truth and for peace of mind, Dr Delia said during an interview on Net FM.

The government on Friday announced the setting up of the inquiry requested by the Council of Europe. Later, the Caruana Galizia family requested a meeting with the Prime Minister to discuss the composition of the board of inquiry.

The PN leader recalled that the Nationalist Party had called for an inquiry immediately after the murder in October 2017.

It was finally being held because the government had its back to the wall and there was a duty for the truth to come out. One could not risk having any doubts left at the end of it.

The murder of a journalist was an attack on freedom of expression and in many countries where this happened, governments shouldered political responsibility, not because they would have committed the murder, but because something so shocking would have happened under their watch.

Yet, in Malta, the government had not felt a need to do so.

Dr Delia said that he would also be calling a meeting of the PN’s parliamentary group in the coming days to discuss the matter.

Environmental conscience

Earlier, the PN leader spoke on the need of the country to have an environmental conscience.

The people had to be educated about the consequences of decisions they took, such as on single-use plastics and waste.

The government, however, had to lead by example. All decisions taken in the country had to be centred around the people and the environment, Dr Delia said.