The Nationalist Party said on Monday that while it respected the advice of the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General not to grant pardons to the Degiorgio brothers and Vince Muscat, the people deserved an explanation as to what this advice was based on. 

Earlier on Monday, the government said it had decided not to recommend the pardons to the three men, based on the advice given to it by the "relevant institutions". 

According to the law, cabinet receives advice concerning presidential pardons from the police commissioner and attorney general.

Degiorgio brothers Alfred and George are awaiting trial for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Muscat has already admitted his involvement in the murder as part of a plea bargain.

Following Muscat's plea deal, the Degiorgios requested a pardon of their own for their role in Caruana Galizia's murder, in exchange for testimony one of the brothers claimed will implicate an ex-minister as a "middleman" and a sitting minister in another major crime.

Muscat - who has already received a pardon for his role in the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop - had sought another pardon to reveal information on three other major crimes. 

In its statement, the Nationalist Party said the people deserved to know whether the decision against granting the pardons meant that the police had sufficient evidence that negated the need for a pardon for the crimes under investigation to be solved.

Did this decision mean that the police were not believing the Degiorgio brothers or Muscat, the PN asked.

Had the information which the Degiorgios and Muscat had, been corroborated? Were there other reasons?

The PN said the people expected justice to be served on all people involved in these crimes and the people therefore expected the commissioner of police to explain.