George Degiorgio seeks pardon to expose ‘prominent people’ in cold cases
Degiorgio also wants his 40-year term for murdering Daphne Caruana Galizia reduced to 15
Convicted killer George Degiorgio wants a presidential pardon to reveal information about the gangland killing of Jonathan Pace, known as the operator of Tyson Butcher.
Degiorgio says he is prepared to help police solve various other cold cases, including murders and bomb threats, in which a web of “prominent people” was involved.
Investigations into the murder of Pace were reopened in 2021. The killing is believed to have been a gangland vendetta, based on information provided by Vince Muscat, also known as Il-Koħħu.
On September 3, Degiorgio’s lawyers filed a request for a presidential pardon covering any offence he may have committed or been involved in before December 2017.
“Our client wishes to be granted a proclamation in order to be in a position to reveal and testify about everything he personally knows regarding certain criminal offences that were carried out by a network of prominent people in our country,” the request says.
The request states that the pardon does not include any cases where he was found guilty, except for Degiorgio’s conviction for Caruana Galizia’s murder.
His legal team is requesting that his sentence be reduced from 40 years to 15 years, as Degiorgio was not given the opportunity to be represented by a defence lawyer of his choosing.
Prior to Degiorgio’s guilty plea, his then-lawyer, William Cuschieri, announced that he would stop representing the brothers.
The request also refers to Vince Muscat il-Koħħu's 15-year prison sentence for the Caruana Galizia murder, which he received after reaching a plea bargain deal with prosecutors in exchange for information about the crime.
Degiorgio’s defence team added that he is prepared to assist police in solving a number of other cold cases, including murders and bomb threats.
Besides the 40-year sentence, Degiorgio was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015.
This is not George Degiorgio’s first request for a presidential pardon. George Degiorgio and his brother Alfred Degiorgio made three requests for a presidential pardon before their guilty plea in the Caruana Galizia case, saying they had information that would implicate a former minister in Caruana Galizia’s murder.
The request was signed by Lawyers Noel Bianco and Leslie Cuschieri.