Joseph Muscat slams 'heinous lies' in Daphne bomb trial
A witness testified that she was told former PM paid for the bomb
Former prime minister Joseph Muscat has dismissed a courtroom testimony claiming he paid someone to supply the bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
"This is a heinous lie from beginning to end," Muscat said in a post on Facebook.
During the trial against Robert Agius (ta' Maksar) and Jamie Ellul, who are accused of supplying the bomb that killed Caruana Galizia, a woman testified that she was told that Muscat paid for the bomb.
Nicole Brignogne, a woman with a long history of drug use and criminal association, testified that Kevin Ellul, also allegedly deeply involved in criminal networks, told her that the former prime minister “paid someone” to have the bomb placed.
Muscat categorically denied the allegation and emphasised his government's role in solving the case.
"I remind you that it was the government led by me that brought in the experts through whom the people who admitted to the crime were caught," Muscat said.
He added he had never been informed of this allegation by investigators, nor had he ever been questioned about it.
Muscat resigned as prime minister in January 2020 amid a political crisis triggered by the murder of the investigative journalist.
An inquiry into the assassination later found the state should shoulder responsibility for her death. While the inquiry did not find proof of government involvement in the assassination, it created a “favourable climate” for anyone seeking to eliminate her to do so with the minimum of consequences.