The European Parliament has overwhelmingly voted to adopt a resolution that expresses concern about the "impunity" enjoyed by Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.
The resolution was signed by MEPs from all major political groupings, including four from the Socialists & Democrats grouping that Maltese Labour MEPs form part of.
On Thursday, 564 MEPs voted for the resolution, while only 10 voted against and 17 abstained. All four Maltese Labour MEPs voted against the resolution.
The resolution was put to vote on Thursday following a debate on the state of Malta’s rule of law in the House on Monday.
Malta this week is marking five years since journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated, sparking enhanced scrutiny of the country's democratic safeguards.
The resolution “expresses concern about the impunity afforded to key figures in the former prime minister’s administration, including the former prime minister himself, his chief of staff, and the former minister for tourism, formerly the minister for energy”.
It acknowledges that the current prime minister publicly apologised for the state’s shortcomings that could have contributed to the murder of Caruana Galizia, but also urges the closing of criminal judicial proceedings as quickly as possible, “bringing those involved in the murder, at any level, to justice”.
The resolution also acknowledges progress in the murder case but expresses alarm about the failure to prosecute Pilatus Bank officials and "grave concern" about Malta's reluctance to cooperate with the European Public Prosecutor's Office, among other things.
It meanwhile calls on Malta to revise its media law framework, saying obstacles to media freedom and pluralism persist. It flags concern over the Maltese government's lack of public consultation on the proposed media reform, calling on the authorities to secure a broad public consultation in particular about the restriction on the use of SLAPPs.
It also notes that no solution has been found for the appointment of a new Ombudsman and no women have been appointed as commissioners for administrative investigations.
Through the resolution, the parliament also notes it is “appalled” with the lack of progress in prosecuting the corruption and money laundering that Caruana Galizia had been investigating at the time of her murder and which involved suspects at the highest political levels.
The parliament is also “alarmed by the institutional failure of law enforcement and justice” on the island and “strongly urges” the authorities to bring to justice every individual implicated in one or more of the numerous cases currently being investigated or reported.
Additionally, it urged Maltese authorities to push for investigations into cases of possible attempts by former public officials to conceal evidence and obstruct investigations and judicial proceedings.
More examples of impunity than convictions - Casa
Following Thursday's vote, David Casa said that in five years, MEPs had seen “more examples of impunity than they have seen convictions”.
“MEPs expressed themselves strongly in the debate on Monday. It is evident they are losing faith in the promises of the Labour Government. There is a rift between the promises made and the results delivered.”
Parliament, he said, acknowledged that the assassins had been caught.
However, it was now sending a message that it was time to seek justice for politicians and officials and the roles they played, he said.
“It is a shame that the only time we see a modicum of progress in Malta is when we ramp up scrutiny of the Labour Government. But until integrity in the Maltese institutions is restored, I will not stop speaking on behalf of the Maltese people.
“Daphne deserves justice. And the Maltese and Gozitan people deserve to live in a just country.”