Joseph Muscat Withdraws Libel Case Over Claim He ‘Blew Up’ Daphne Caruana Galizia
Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has withdrawn his libel suit against lawyer Christian Grima, the Times of Malta reported.
The case stemmed from a 2020 social media comment by Grima that appeared to implicate Muscat directly in the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia—a murder that shocked the nation when it occurred in October 2017 outside her home in Bidnija.
Muscat had claimed that Grima’s comment reacting to a video of Michelle, Muscat’s wife, which read, “What happened to her? Your husband blew her up. That’s what happened to her,” was “totally defamatory” and suggested his direct involvement in the bombing that killed Caruana Galizia.
During Monday’s court proceedings, Grima clarified that his remark was never intended to be taken literally. Instead, he explained that his comment was meant to criticise what he perceives as a culture of impunity fostered by Muscat’s government.
Grima, represented by lawyer Carl Grech, reiterated that his intention was to highlight governmental negligence rather than accuse Muscat of personally commissioning or executing the assassination.
His explanation led Muscat, who was represented by lawyer Pawlu Lia, to drop the defamation suit.