Malta Faces Corruption Warning Following Council of Europe Inquiry
Quick Brief
Malta remains vulnerable to high-level corruption and must strengthen the rule of law and journalist protections, according to a British peer leading a Council of Europe inquiry. The investigation focuses on judicial failures following the 2017 assassination of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bombing. Officials warn that failing to implement necessary legal safeguards continues to put journalists at severe risk.
What Happened?
At the opening of a Council of Europe inquiry examining judicial failures tied to the death of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, special rapporteur Shami Chakrabarti warned that Malta remains exposed to repeated instances of high-level corruption. Chakrabarti, a Labour peer and former director of Liberty, highlighted that the country has failed to adequately implement critical legal protections for reporters.
Why It Matters
The warning underscores ongoing international concern regarding press freedom and the rule of law in Malta nearly a decade after the 2017 car bombing that killed Caruana Galizia. The findings and recommendations from the Council of Europe inquiry could exert significant pressure on Maltese authorities to enact structural legal reforms and improve safety measures for investigative journalists.
Key Facts
- A Council of Europe inquiry opened to examine judicial failures following the 2017 assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
- Shami Chakrabarti serves as the special rapporteur and Labour peer leading the investigation.
- Malta was warned it faces vulnerability to high-level corruption without strengthened rule of law.
- The inquiry highlights ongoing failures to implement legal protections that keep journalists safe.
- Caruana Galizia, an anti-corruption journalist, was killed in a car bombing in October 2017.
Compiled from 2 outlets
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