European Parliament president Roberta Metsola led a series of reactions in disgust at pictures showing convicted killer George Degiorgio at a baptism party on Friday night.
The pictures, released by Times of Malta, showed Degiorgio, embracing family members at a party in Rabat, after his release was given the blessing by the courts.
Last October, Degiorgio was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment after admitting to blowing up journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. He and his brother Alfred have since demanded a retrial. Degiorgio is awaiting another murder trial in the meantime.
Shortly after the story was uploaded, Metsola posted on social media:
"On a day when she (Caruana Galizia) has been vindicated yet again with her reporting about the abuse that was behind the Malta hospital scam, we are treated to photos of her killer living it up.
"Daphne can no longer enjoy time with her sons and play with her grandchildren. She cannot speak to her husband, her sisters or her parents. She cannot write her column. She cannot upload her blog. But the man who murdered her can party and pose for photographs with impunity. That is not justice. That is the opposite."
The Caruana Galizia family also expressed their outrage at the decision to allow one of the assassins to attend a party.
"George Degiorgio lost his right to family life the moment he began murdering innocent human beings for money," said Andrew Caruana Galizia.
Corinne Vella, Caruana Galizia's sister also took to Twitter to express her disbelief saying, "One of Daphne's murderers was allowed out of jail to go to a party. This is not a spoof article."
Opposition leader Bernard Grech urged the Maltese to wake up.
"This is Malta under Robert Abela. Wake up. We all want better for Malta. This is the moment that everyone needs to forget their differences. We're not perfect but united we can present a stronger front against this rottenness. Malta deserves better. You deserve better," Grech said.
The pictures appear to have resonated overseas as well.
Among others, Flutura Kusari, senior legal advisor at ECPMF wrote: "This is how Malta treats criminals who kill journalists. It allows them out of jail to party and enjoy life when they are serving a sentence for a journalist’s murder. What is the end goal of this approach? This shameful decision has implications at a European level."