One of the alleged murderers of Daphne Caruana Galizia, is claiming that the “exaggerated delay” in granting him a state pardon was to afford “total immunity” to individuals in “power circles”. 

Vincent Muscat made the claims in a judicial protest filed against the prime minister, the police commissioner, the attorney general, the state advocate and the justice minister on Friday. 

The alleged hitman, who claims to have passed on “credible and reliable” information to investigators, not only about the journalist’s assassination but also in other unresolved crimes, is still in the dark about his pardon. 

Muscat said he had been involved in five lengthy sessions with lead investigators Keith Arnaud and Kurt Zahra at police headquarters throughout January and February this year, clocking up nine CDs of recorded evidence.

But he has still received no reply about the pardon, formally requested in November 2019. 

Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb outside her home in October 2017. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Following an additional letter to the president in December 2019, Muscat received correspondence from the president’s secretary informing him that his request had been forwarded to the justice minister for advice.

A second identical reply was received in July, meaning that nothing had changed and no progress was registered. 

After his last session at the depot on February 18, the inspectors had resorted to “every possible excuse” to avoid a final meeting, blaming the delay on COVID-19, other work or altered working hours, Muscat claims.

The “classic phrase” spoken by Arnaud was, “we’ll speak again next week,” said the protesting party, adding that such behaviour demonstrated that the investigators “were playing for time.”

It appeared that they were being prevented from searching “for the whole truth, which could impact the administrative stability of present-day government,” and appeared to indicate “dark interests of third parties involved,” and not yet disclosed, the judicial protest reads. 

He argues the attitude was very different from that adopted in respect of self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma, whose pardon had been rushed through in days, with former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat shouldering responsibility.

The alleged hitman questioned the legitimacy of that pardon, remarking that the whole affair appeared to have been “perfectly orchestrated” especially in view of recent reports about ‘hidden’ tapes which had not made it to the magistrates’ court.

In June, Muscat had once again sent a reminder to the president about his pardon, also requesting the head of state to grant him bail.  But in spite of several calls and emails by his lawyer, Marc Sant, to the president’s office, no reply was forthcoming. 

Muscat called on the authorities to handle the matter immediately, holding them responsible in damages, whilst declaring that delays undermined the proper administration of justice and rule of law. 

Lawyer Marc Sant signed the judicial protest.