Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family have filed a court complaint against recent reports that Yorgen Fenech’s lawyers tried to bribe a Times of Malta journalist in return for favourable coverage towards their client.

“This shocking news directly impinges on the proper administration of justice in this sensitive case, seeing as the accused and the defence have been found to blatantly try and spend money to influence public opinion in favour of the accused in a criminal, deceptive, dishonest and fraudulent manner,” the complaint, signed by their lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Therese Comodini Cachia, reads.

The Caruana Galizia family’s complaint was filed in front of magistrate Rachel Montebello who is presiding against the case against Fenech, the businessman who has been charged with conspiring to assassinate Caruana Galizia.

They urged the magistrate to formally include this development in her court proceedings on this case and to request a police investigation.

Yesterday, Times of Malta journalist Ivan Martin recounted how Fenech’s lawyer Gianluca Caruana Curran had offered him €500 notes during a recent meeting in return for favourable coverage towards his client, who has been charged with conspiring to assassinate Caruana Galizia.

Charles Mercieca, another of Fenech’s defence lawyers, was also present in this meeting.

Caruana Curran confirmed that he offered “remuneration” to Martin in return for favourable coverage towards his client, saying the journalist “led them to understand that we could use his services to help neutralise the bias in the reporting in the media.”

Police are investigating the incident, while Jason Azzopardi has called for the Commission for the Administration of Justice to take “severe steps”.

Malta’s Chamber of Advocates has called for an investigation, the Institute of Maltese Journalist has lambasted the alleged attempt at bribery, and both the PN and the PL have condemned this incident.

Cover photo: Daphne Caruana Galizia’s relatives at a protest in Valletta last year 

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