Malta’s prime minister, Joseph Muscat, has told associates he plans to resign imminently after the political and legal crisis stemming from the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia engulfed his government this week.
His decision follows the arrest and questioning of one of Muscat’s key allies by police investigating the 2017 murder of the prominent investigative journalist, who had exposed corruption at the highest levels of government and business circles in Malta.
After two years of stalled investigations into the murder, the authorities in the Mediterranean country have moved rapidly in recent days, with a series of arrests that have destabilised Muscat’s government. Earlier on Friday, following an unscheduled cabinet meeting that ran through the night, Muscat had vowed to stay in the job until the investigation was complete.
However, details of a split within his cabinet soon emerged. It is now understood he plans to make a televised address to announce his departure. The exact timing is to be decided, with local media saying the prime minister was waiting for news of whether the police charge a businessman suspected of ordering Caruana Galizia’s assassination.
The deputy prime minister, Chris Fearne, is understood to be ready to take on the role of acting prime minister until a new leader is selected in January.
This week, two ministers and Muscat’s chief of staff stepped down from their posts. The chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was arrested on Tuesday and released late on Thursday without being charged. He denies any wrongdoing.
Early on Friday, Muscat’s cabinet turned down a request for pardon by the main suspect, the businessman Yorgen Fenech, in return for information about alleged conspirators. Fenech was detained while trying to leave Malta on his yacht last week.
Source: BBC
