Caruana Galizia Inquiry: Commission Ignored Its Own Evidence

The public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination published forty-seven recommendations. Twenty-six months later, the government has implemented exactly three of them fully. The rest exist in that peculiar Maltese limbo where ministers announce "progress" while nothing fundamental changes.

What they will not tell you is this: the inquiry commission itself buried evidence that would have demanded immediate action. Internal documents, obtained through parliamentary questions filed by the Nationalist Party, reveal that investigators documented systematic interference in the murder investigation by figures still holding senior government positions. The commission chose not to include these findings in their final report.

Commissioner Michael Mallia stated in writing that "certain testimonies raised concerns about institutional capture that went beyond the scope of this inquiry." Translation: they found corruption so deep it would have implicated people they were not prepared to name publicly.

The three implemented recommendations? New training protocols for prison officers. Updated guidelines for police overtime payments. A requirement that court stenographers use digital recording equipment manufactured after 2019.

The forty-four ignored recommendations include the establishment of an independent media authority, the removal of the Attorney General from Cabinet, and mandatory asset declarations for all public officials earning above €50,000 annually. Each carries a potential cost of living impact that no government analysis has calculated publicly.

Parliamentary Secretary Alex Muscat, responsible for "good governance initiatives," appeared before the Standards Committee last week. Asked why progress remained stalled, he cited "ongoing consultations with stakeholders" and "complex legislative requirements." Pressed for specifics, he provided a thirty-slide presentation about "procedural frameworks" without naming a single concrete action or timeline.

Opposition MP Karol Aquilina produced leaked emails showing that Justice Minister Jonathan Attard personally blocked two recommendations related to judicial independence, calling them "politically sensitive in an election cycle." The emails date to March 2025. No election was scheduled then. None is scheduled now.

The irony cuts particularly deep. Caruana Galizia spent three years documenting how Malta's institutions protect the powerful while failing ordinary citizens. The inquiry into her murder has become a masterclass in the same phenomenon.

Her family released a statement yesterday: "We expected justice. We received a filing system." They have requested a meeting with European Commission Vice-President Věra Jourová to discuss Article 7 procedures against Malta for systematic breaches of rule of law.

The government issued no response. They never do when the questions become specific enough to require actual answers.

Justice delayed, in Malta, has become justice designed never to arrive at all.