The withdrawal of journalists' representatives from the Tumas Fenech foundation board of trustees is "inane" and "misdirected", the foundation hit out.  

On Sunday, the Institute of Maltese Journalists said that in view of the latest developments in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder probe, it should not remain associated with the foundation for as long as Yorgen Fenech’s name remained shadowed with his arrest in connection with the murder.

But honorary secretary Malcolm Naudi  said in a letter to the IĠM that the Tumas Fenech Foundation for Education in Journalism was not under any shadow.

The foundation was completely independent, legally and in "actual fact", he said.

Mr Naudi added that the two 'suspended' IĠM members had already tendered their resignation from the IĠM Council, and therefore this 'suspension' was inane. To date, the foundation has not been formally informed of their replacement.

"The family of the late Tumas Fenech, who has supported the foundation throughout the years since its inception, cannot be considered as moral lepers in view of the involvement of one of its members, Mr Yorgen Fenech, in the investigation into the assassination of the late journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia.

"Mr Fenech, as you rightly pointed out, is still presumed innocent. However, even if in the event that one member of the Tumas Fenech family is found guilty, the same family should not be criminalised."

The foundation should not suspend its work simply because one member of the family was under investigation, according to Mr Naudi.

"The assassination of a courageous journalist should ignite our anger, and indeed sustain our determination in seeing that Maltese journalists would not be conditioned into fear from performing their duty in the discovery of the truth."

While he understood the institute's "indignation", its decision was "misdirected", he added.