President George Vella has ignored media questions sent following the publication of a public inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

The 437-page inquiry report, published last month, concluded that the state should shoulder responsibility for the journalist’s death.

The inquiry also concluded that former prime minister Joseph Muscat’s entire cabinet should be held collectively responsible for their inaction in the lead up to the assassination.

Vella had served as minister in the 2013 Muscat cabinet. 

Following the publication of the inquiry, Vella faced calls for his resignation, most notably from ex-PN leader Simon Busuttil and Caruana Galizia family lawyer Jason Azzopardi. 

Questions sent to Vella last week about the calls for resignation did not elicit a response. He was also asked whether the president had refused to meet with the public inquiry board following the publication of the report, as claimed by Azzopardi.

To date, the only comments made by the president were uploaded onto his Facebook page. 

In a post uploaded the day after the inquiry was published, Vella said the report should serve as the starting point for a national recovery from the trauma left by the journalist’s 2017 murder.

Vella said he had taken note of the conclusions and recommendations of the inquiry board and, while he still had to give these further considerations, his initial reaction was that the recommendations should be respected, and, where possible, implemented.

He also wrote that he felt regret over all that had led to Caruana Galizia’s murder.