George and Alfred Degiorgio have sent another letter to President George Vella, making a second request for a pardon over accusations they are facing in relation to the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

“That the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth is revealed and all those involved are brought to justice” does not only interest the Degiorgios’ but is “everybody’s interest,” the brothers said in their letter.

Monday’s letter comes exactly one week after Cabinet decided to recommend refusing an earlier pardon request the two alleged murderers had filed in March. 

In their letter, the Degiorgio brothers noted that the head of state did not need to follow that recommendation and could exercise his prerogative to treat them “like others” and ensure a decision in their case was based on what they had to say. 

The Degiorgios claim to have information implicating a former minister as a mastermind in the Caruana Galizia murder as well as information about other serious crimes, including attempted robberies and a murder in which, they say, a former minister and sitting minister were involved. 

In their letter to the president, the Degiorgios express concern that “no one in Malta” seems to be willing to hear what they have to say, although they have openly stated, over and over, that they possess “true, reliable, credible, direct” evidence about the crimes that is not hearsay. 

They say that they fear that no one will hear what they have to say, because of the public position of the individuals about whom they possess information.

Moreover, there is clearly a conflict of interest within Cabinet and that conflict cannot be obviated simply through the recusal of one of its sitting ministers. 

The Degiorgios said that unlike similar pardon requests, that were upheld, for self-confessed Caruana Galizia murder middleman Melvin Theuma or murderer Vincent Muscat, their pardon request was turned down without anyone having heard them out. 

Such decisions are normally taken once the prosecuting officer has spoken to the person or people requesting the pardon, as happened in the case of Theuma and Muscat, the Degiorgios’ lawyer wrote.

The Degiorgios told the head of state that they learnt of cabinet’s decision to ignore their pardon request through media reports and had never received an acknowledgement that it had been received. 

Cabinet took that decision based on advice from the attorney general and the police commissioner, with minister Carmelo Abela abstaining following allegations that is one of the ministers hinted at by the Degiorgios. 

Abela has denied any such involvement and filed libel proceedings against PN MP and Caruana Galizia lawyer Jason Azzopardi in relation to such claims. 

On Tuesday, one day after the government announced cabinet’s decision, the brothers filed a judicial protest claiming that it was unheard of for cabinet to take such decision when no one had yet spoken to the parties directly concerned.

Shortly after news of that judicial protest emerged, the Degiorgios’ lawyer, William Cuschieri, received an email from the Office of the President informing him that his clients’ request for a pardon had been denied. 

They are now once again pleading with the President to take note of their situation and to exercise his constitutional powers accordingly so that any decision may ultimately be taken, not in abstract but upon whatever “they have to say.” 

Lawyer William Cuschieri signed the letter.