The suspected middleman in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder has been granted a pardon only if their claims are corroborated in court and result in a prosecution, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has revealed.

The evidence applies to this case and others the middleman is involved with. The decision, he said, was his alone, and was done so without consulting cabinet. “I am taking this decision on my own, this will not be discussed or decided in cabinet.”

“Given what has happened in the past, I believe that this is a decision I have to should myself,” Muscat told the press.

Asked by Lovin Malta what would it mean for the government if the mastermind is revealed to be a member of cabinet or his staff, Muscat was non-commital.

“I will not comment on these things, I think I would be jumping the gun,” Muscat continued. “I want to make sure we have a strong case, it seems like it is.”

“My job is to make sure that the person faces justice,” Muscat told Lovin Malta.

Muscat called on the press to be prudent on the case moving forward, insisting that while the case will not conclude in a matter of days, he said that it would not take months. 

Earlier, Times of Malta reported that the suspected middleman was arrested last Thursday during a raid on an alleged money laundering ring and that Europol experts have seized devices in his possession.

The man reportedly knows the identity of the mastermind behind Caruana Galizia’s assassination which, according to an earlier report, is a “major businessman” the late journalist had investigated.

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