Maltese PM Joseph Muscat announces his resignation over slain journalist case

Maltese PM Joseph Muscat informed his associates on November 19 about his resignation which he might file by mid-January, as per a regional newspaper report on December 1. He affirmed the same in a televised interview on December 1 that he would ask his ruling Labour Party to start a process to choose a new leader on January 12. His resignation follows the investigation into the death of prominent Investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in October 2017. It is the political turmoil caused by the investigation that has led to his resignation, wrote the newspaper. The journalist was investigating alleged corruption by the Government. Galizia's family members and protesters have accused Muscat of trying to shield members of his inner circle from the ongoing investigation into her death.

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Muscat in his statement to the associates said that he had shouldered responsibilities and taken decisions for the past two years of his rule. He said he made decisions in the best interest for the conclusion of the case and that he is convinced that some decisions were good while others could have been better. The PM also understood the sentiment of the deceased's family and protesters saying that he thought the sadness and anger for this murder are justified. Yet violence, and disorder, within the pretext of a protest, are not justified in a democracy, he added.

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The murder of journalist Caruana Galizia 

The controversy arose from the killing of journalist Caruana Galizia in the car bomb just down the road from her home as she drove to the bank. Her family and protesters claim that she was "assassinated" because of her work uncovering alleged corruption in the Maltese government. She is known to have researched Panama papers and made very powerful enemies. The Panama Papers imply to the leak of millions of files from the database of a Panama law firm called Mossack Fonseca in 2016. Before her murder, she faced several other losses - her dog's throat was cut, and in 2006 her house was set on fire as the family slept, tires piled against the back door to prevent them escaping. All three suspects who were charged in July for her murder pleaded not guilty during pre-trial proceedings.

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In her final blog, she wrote: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate".

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