The Prime Minister’s communications aide Josef Caruana has publicly apologised for suggesting on social media that the family of late journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was somehow involved in her assassination last October. 

“I want to make it clear that my post was thought up solely by myself and no one else, certainly not by the Prime Minister or the government,” Caruana said. “Nevertheless, I understand that not everyone agreed with what I wrote or considered what I wrote to be just, even though we live in a generation of free expression – a concept I always believed in and followed in my career as a journalist. I therefore offer a sincere apology to anyone I might have hurt.”

Josef Caruana’s shocking suspicion that the family might be involved in Caruana Galizia’s murder was based on how the police haven’t managed to find her laptop, how her son Matthew had parked her car outside the house the day before his mother was killed, and rumours that her widower is seeing another woman.

His statement was strongly denounced by Caruana Galizia’s sons Matthew and Paul. 

Caruana recently confirmed he intends to run as a PL candidate in next year’s European Parliament elections, pledging to protect Malta’s reputation abroad, which he claimed is being “tarnished” by the Nationalist Party’s MEPs.

Lovin Malta asked the Labour Party whether it is comfortable having Caruana as one of its candidates in light of his inflammatory post, but a PL spokesperson coyly responded that the party hasn’t yet started the selection process for next year’s election.

READ NEXT: How Europe Honoured Daphne Caruana Galizia This Week

Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]