Alfred and George Degiorgio, the two brothers accused of carrying out the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, have accused cabinet ministers of sitting on their pardon request in order to protect their colleagues, who the brothers have promised to implicate in high-profile crimes.

Last month the Degiorgio’s wrote to the President to request that a presidential pardon be granted to them for their role in the murder.

They claimed to have tangible evidence that will implicate a former minister as one of the masterminds of the assassination. They also claim to have information implicating the former minister, as well as a sitting cabinet minister, in other high-profile crimes.

In a statement to the media sent through their lawyer William Cuschieri, the Degiorgios questioned what was holding Malta’s authorities and institutions back from formally acknowledging their request and from considering them “seriously and expeditiously”.

“Why is it that in the case of Melvin Theuma a Presidential Pardon was given in a very short period of time by a decision of the ex-Prime Minister acting alone, whilst in their case, they have not heard anything about their requests after the lapse of a considerable period of time?” read the statement.

The statement went on to question why the state preferred to consider and grant presidential pardons to a third party – a reference to Vince Muscat, the third accused assassin who has pleaded guilty to his role in the murder – when he has said during his testimony that he was relying on what the Degiorgios told him.

“Could it be the case that the authorities, the institutions and finally the State, do not want to consider [the Degiorgios’] requests in the manner contemplated by law because they advised that the information they have, should lead in the case of the homicide of Daphne Caruana Galizia, amongst others, to a mastermind who was a Government Minister and therefore there exists a serious conflict of interest in those who in accordance to law should give their recommendation about the requests made by them?”

They similarly asked whether the cabinet, through its inaction on the request, was protecting a sitting minister who they claim to be able to implicate in other serious crimes.

The brothers’ lawyer questioned whether the state really did want to get to the bottom of the Caruana Galizia murder.

“Which democratic state, which has this type of request based on the giving of such information, ignores and does not reply to said requests and does not send for those who make the same requests?” the statement concluded.

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