The Caruana Galizia brothers on Friday welcomed the news that Alfred and George Degiorgio had pleaded guilty to his mother's murder at the end of a dramatic day in court.

The Degiorgios agreed to reverse their 'not-guilty' plea, filed in court in the morning, in exchange for a more lenient sentence on Friday afternoon.

Their admission means four people have now come clean about their role in Daphne Caruana Galizia's car bombing in October 2017 - the two brothers, their accomplice Vince Muscat and the confessed middleman Melvin Theuma. 

In a tweet, Paul Caruana Galizia simply wrote: "A break in the clouds" linking to the breaking news story in Times of Malta. 

Coming out of the courthouse after the judgement was handed down, his brother Matthew said five years were far too long to wait for convictions but he was relieved that the two men had been convicted and sentenced.

He added that it was now “about the other cases”. Matthew Caruana Galizia said he was glad that the homicide squad and the rest of the prosecution had remained united throughout the process.

“Five years is too long. Five years is far too long,” he said.

While thanking his legal team and all those who had helped, he said that “of course these people should never have been allowed to do what they did in the first place”.

Caruana Galizia was then whisked away to accept the European Parliament’s citizen award on behalf of the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation which was set up following his mother's murder.

Lead prosecutor Keith Arnaud said he was satisfied with the police team’s work. Justice, Arnaud said, had been served.

In a statement, Prime Minister Robert Abela described the judgement as "an important step forward, to deliver justice in a case that represents a dark chapter in Malta’s history".

Three individuals, he said, had up to now been found guilty of the homicide and had been condemned to prison while another three were awaiting trial.

He reiterated the government’s commitment "to deliver full justice to the Caruana Galizia family, and to the Maltese people".

Abela conveyed appreciation to all authorities who worked hard and will continue to work on the case and said the government will continue to support them as they carry out their duties.

It will also continue to implement important reforms to strengthen further the rule of law principles and democracy in Malta.

Justice Minister Jonathan Attard said the judgement confirmed the commitment of the government and the institutions of the state to ensure justice.

He also thanked others, including the media, which, he said, served to keep the people informed.

"Work continues," he said.

European President Roberta Metsola said Friday's developments were "a small step" towards justice.

"Now, for those who ordered and paid for it, those who protected them and those who spent years doing everything imaginable to try to cover it up…," she wrote.

PN leader Bernard Grech said developments in court on Friday were another step towards the implementation of justice.

"We have to continue to work for truth to prevail and justice to be fully implemented."

Only this can start to heal the nation, he said.

Lawyer Jason Azzopardi who represented the Caruana Galizia family paid tribute to the deputy attorney general saying Philip Galea Farrugia had had to make many sacrifices for Friday's result to be achieved.

"The country owes Philip," he said.

Azzopardi said a major step had been made but a lot still needed to be done.

MEP David Casa said everybody involved needs to be brought to justice if justice for Caruana Galizia had to be fully served.

"Not just those who planted the bomb and set it off. But those who ordered her to be killed. And those in office who bent over backwards to protect them."

Civil society group Occupyjustice referred to the 40 year sentence given to the brothers saying it was not the harshest penalty but it felt like a reasonable outcome. "This feels like justice," it tweeted.

Civil society group Repubblika welcomed the news saying the Degiorgios' admission was a step towards justice and truth.

But justice will only be done when all those involved were made to pay for their actions.

It invited the public to join its protest march in Valletta on Sunday at 6.30pm.

Reporters without Borders welcomed the convictions as "a long overdue step towards justice for the murder".

In a statement following Friday's proceedings, RSF's EU head Pavol Szalai said: "Nearly five years on, it's more important than ever to ensure that full criminal justice is delivered for all those involved in this heinous crime."