Matthew Caruana Galizia Challenges Prime Minister Over ‘Attack’ Against Jason Azzopardi
Matthew Caruana Galizia has called out Prime Minister Robert Abela after he accused the family’s lawyer Jason Azzopardi of conducting a “dangerous attack” on the upcoming trial of murder suspect Yorgen Fenech.
Abela yesterday criticised Azzopardi, without mentioning him by name, for “making declarations that contaminate court proceedings”. Abela said he is concerned about the reasons behind these declarations.
This came after Azzopardi said in a Lovin Malta interview that all the evidence so far indicates Fenech was the sole mastermind behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Lovin Malta has since redacted the interview in line with a court order by Judge Edwina Grima, who was responding to a complaint by French’s defence team.
However, Caruana Galizia’s son Matthew hit back at Abela’s comments.
“It’s fascinating that in his last speech, the Prime Minister chose to attack our lawyer for a statement of fact but has nothing to say about the millions of euros in public contracts, that bypass the usual procurement rules, to the accused’s own family business,” he said.
This was a reference to a study by the Daphne Foundation which found that the Tumas Group and its subsidiaries received at least €4.8 million in public funds, mostly through direct orders, since the murder of Caruana Galizia in October 2017.
Although Fenech is no longer a Tumas director, he remains a partial shareholder.
“I think the two have to be looked at together,” Caruana Galizia remarked.
“Is there a tacit agreement to finance the defence? This is a question that needs to be asked. Remember that the Mozura inquiry is due to be concluded and must inevitably lead to new prosecutions of those involved.”
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