Updated 12.33pm with Caruana Galizia family reaction

Daphne Caruana Galizia was being monitored by the secret services in the days before her 2017 murder, two of her killers now claim, implicating “prominent people in politics” in the journalist’s assassination. 

“We are not society’s monsters, as they’re making us out to be,” said Alfred and George Degiorgio in a public statement that made a series of serious but unsubstantiated claims. 

The brothers' claims were dismissed by one of Caruana Galizia's sisters as an attempt by the self-confessed hitmen to derail ongoing proceedings against others allegedly involved in the 2017 murder.   

The brothers are serving a 40-year jail term after pleading guilty to their role as hitmen in the car bomb that killed Caruana Galizia just a few metres away from her Bidnija home. 

They have since started legal proceedings to request a retrial, claiming that they admitted to the crime at the eleventh hour to avoid a life term since they were not afforded a fair trial.

After their personal lawyer renounced his brief, the Degiorgios were assigned legal aid lawyers days before the trial began. They say this meant they were not given sufficient time to prepare an effective defence. 

In their statement, the Degiorgios claimed that they were the “victims” of prominent people who controlled and manipulated them. 

“We ended up being used by various people including former ministers Carmelo Abela and Chris Cardona, lawyers like David Gatt who was very active, and high-ranking members of the police corps and army.”

They claimed that the police had failed to act on information they provided about these people and crimes they were involved in – and that police did nothing on the instructions of “certain important persons”.

“Worse still, we believe that in certain cases, justice is being used to twist the truth so as to accuse people who, as far as we know, had nothing to do whatsoever with these crimes,” the brothers wrote. 

€1 million reward 'farcical'

They dismissed a government offer of a €1 million prize for information about the murder as “farcical”, saying it was nothing but a ploy to ensure that “whoever was truly involved, would be made out as being a virgin".

“Let’s make this clear, whoever was granted a pardon twisted the truth and we believe that he is being coached,” they said, in an apparent allusion to self-confessed murder middleman Melvin Theuma. 

There were prominent politicians, including those in ministerial positions, involved in the crime. 

The Degiorgios stated that they were ready to supply first-hand information about former minister Chris Cardona, former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri, ex-Police Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar as well as Secret Services officials, certain lawyers and persons of trust. 

“Something that has so far never been revealed is that prior to the 2017 election, the secret services were following Daphne Caruana Galizia, reporting on her movements and the police were instructed not to go anywhere near the area of her home,” they said.

They said they could “confirm” this, but did not provide any evidence to back up that assertion. 

They also described lead murder investigator superintendent Keith Arnaud as “a great friend” of Keith Schembri and said he was prosecuting people who “had no involvement in the case”.

Schembri has been singled out by Yorgen Fenech, who stands accused of complicity in Caruana’s Galizia’s murder, as the true murder mastermind. A note that Theuma wrote by hand also alluded to Schembri’s involvement. Theuma has, however, testified that he conveyed money from Fenech to the Degiorgio brothers to have Caruana Galizia killed. 

The HSBC heist

The Degiorgios said they were also willing to supply information about other serious crimes such as an attempted HSBC heist in 2010 which also involved prominent people who were still being “protected in full to date.”

Both Cardona and Abela, as well as Gatt were involved together with a former SAG officer and another SAG member who is now part of the Rapid Intervention Unit. 

Vince Muscat, il-Koħħu, was another member of the team and in fact, got hit on the side during the shootout that ensued in that botched robbery. Il-Koħħu has also pleaded guilty to murdering Caruana Galizia, alongside the Degiorgios.  

The brothers said they had already supplied the police with information about Cardona, Muscat, Gatt and Melvin Theuma “but no action was taken.”

Abela, Cardona, Gatt and Muscat were also involved in another €2.8 million hold-up on a cash van at St Venera, the Degiorgios claim. 

The brothers said they had also provided senior inspector Joseph Mercieca with information about three bombings that took place between 2013 and 2017. Mercieca had passed on the information but nothing had happened, they claim. 

The Degiorgios said that they had given Arnaud information to pass on to the police commissioner, Attorney General, Cabinet and President George Vella. 

They asked President George Vella to intervene, saying they believed him to be “serious and honest” and that citizens were being misled by people with an interest in protecting themselves. 

The statement was personally signed by both brothers. 

'Attempt to derail proceedings'

Caruana Galizia's sister Corinne Vella was not swayed by the Degiorgios' pleas.

George Degiorgio, she noted, had told a Reuters journalist that murdering Caruana Galizia was "business as usual" for him. 

"He was willing to blow up Daphne’s car when other members of Daphne’s family were travelling with her, to collect payment for killing Daphne herself," she said.

"Rather than face a jury trial and lifetime imprisonment, George and Alfred Degiorgio admitted to killing Daphne and have been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

"The Degiorgios’ and another murderer’s convictions for Daphne’s contract killing are thanks to a small group of people working - at great risk to themselves - to bring all of Daphne’s murderers to justice.

"The attempt by two of Daphne’s murderers to derail pending murder proceedings should be seen from this perspective," she added.