Killing of Malta journalist related to gov't corruption investigation, son says in court – report
The murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia may be related to her investigation of the country’s government for suspected corruption, her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, told a jury as he took the stand in court on Monday.
According to a report by The Guardian on Tuesday, Matthew, a software engineer, told the jury that his mother was murdered while her investigation into a company partially owned by the defendant, businessman Yorgen Fenech, was still ongoing.
Fenech, who is heir to one of the largest fortunes in Malta, is accused of ordering Daphne’s assassination in a 2017 car bombing, according to the Guardian.
“I was working on some software, and I heard an explosion,” Matthew said, describing the day of the murder. “I opened the door, I felt the blood drain away… I started walking faster and faster towards the tower of smoke.”
“First I saw fire on the road,” he continued. “I saw pieces of metal and flesh. My eyes followed the smoke, and I saw a huge ball of fire. I ran towards it. The horn was going off; it wouldn’t stop. I saw a shadow in the car, and I remember saying, ‘That’s my mom.'”
The company in question, “Electogas,” was being investigated by Daphne after her son discovered thousands of emails on its servers, including apparent evidence of Fenech intending to bribe the Maltese government to secure a project contract, the report said, with Fenech rejecting the allegations.
Matthew discovers corruption evidence, shares with Daphne
The Guardian noted that Matthew had previously worked on the Panama Papers leak before discovering the “Electogas” files, which he shared with his mother.
“I had to share what I was seeing with my mother,” Matthew said. “I believed it was too important.”
When asked by the prosecution, Matthew described the government’s tendering process for the project as “corrupt,” with the report noting that the judge interjected to insist that the description was only Matthew’s opinion and not a statement of fact.
Matthew begins project to bring killers to justice
Matthew had contacted the Guardian prior to his mother’s murder to begin collaboration on the investigation, but instead began a project to bring to justice those responsible for her killing.
“We never got to do it,” said Matthew, referring to the initial investigation. “In fact, when I see these emails, my heart beats fast because I’m taken back to that time when I was with my mother planning on what to do.”
The report emphasized Matthew’s commitment to his “mission,” having left his software engineering career to return to Malta and pursue justice for his mother.
“We had to make it our mission, which we did,” he told the court. “It came at enormous personal cost.”
Fenech denies the murder charges, the Guardian reported, with the trial still ongoing.
