Malta’s heroic journalist

Daphne Galizia was so dedicated to exposing corruption in her beloved Malta that it cost her life.

Daphne’s life as a reporter

Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia was a Maltese investigative journalist. Her blog, “Running Commentary,” was the most popular news source in the country, having more readers than the national newspapers.

Her reporting focused on corruption by politicians and businesspeople. She broke stories about money laundering, bribery, fraud, and prostitution rings involving Maltese politicians. Ms. Galizia was called a one-woman WikiLeaks for her reporting on corruption at some of the highest levels of Maltese government. Many of these claims were later supported with the leaking of the Panama Papers.

Daphne’s reporting led to attempts of intimidation. Her house was set on fire while her family was asleep inside, the family dog was killed, and another family dog was poisoned.

Still, she carried on with her work.

Daphne’s murder

On 16 October 2017, Daphne was killed when a bomb was detonated in the car she was driving. Her vehicle was blasted into the air and Daphne’s body, blown apart by the bomb, was found by her son in a field hundreds of feet from the road.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who had been the subject of some of Daphne’s investigations did not initially set up an inquiry into her death, leading to a belief among the Maltese people that a culture of impunity reigned among the political and business class in Malta.

In the end, protests surrounding Daphne’s assassination and the coverup cost Muscat his job. He resigned in 2019. Muscat’s Chief of Staff, Keith Schembri, also resigned. Schembri was charged with providing information to Daphne’s murderers.

In 2021, Vince Muscat (no relation to Joseph Muscat, the former Prime Minister) pled guilty to Daphne’s murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. During his court testimony, he implicated Minister Chris Cardona in the plot by saying that he told Vince Muscat where Daphne would be. Cardona, who denied the claim, was the subject of investigations by Daphne, including one where she reported that he visited a brothel while on official government business in Germany.

In 2022, George and Alfred Degiorgio pled guilty to wilful homicide, criminal conspiracy, and several other charges after admitting to killing Daphne and being charged in the assassination plot along with Vince Muscat. George and Alfred Degiorgio were sentenced to 40 years in prison for the murder of Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia.

Today, Daphne is remembered as a hero of the people, someone who was willing to stand up for what is right against a powerful government and business class that was incredibly corrupt and stealing from the people. Despite repeated threats to her personal safety, she continued her important work.

Shortly after Daphne’s death, protesters started leaving flowers and mementos at the base of the Great Siege Monument outside the co-cathedral. Then Minister for Justice Owen Bonnici ordered that the memorial be removed. But, people kept coming and leaving tokens to Daphne’s memory. Sometimes the makeshift memorial had to be cleared several times a day.

Eventually, in 2020, a judge ruled that removing the memorial was a violation of freedom of expression. You can visit the site where there are pictures of Daphne along with flowers and candles. There’s even some propaganda that defames her. All in the name of free speech, which I’m sure Daphne would defend.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including one for Malta,. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.