Journalists’ committee asks PM to drop Daphne libel case

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Thursday asked Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to drop his libel lawsuit against murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The New York-based CPJ is a non-profit organisation made up of around 40 experts who seek to promote press freedom worldwide. The libel lawsuit revolves around a report by Ms Caruana Galizia alleging that Dr Muscat’s wife was the ultimate beneficial owner of offshore company Egrant. The blogger also reported that Egrant had received a payment of over €1 million from a Dubai company owned by Leyla Aliyeva, the daughter of Azerbaijan’s ruler Ilham Aliyev. The Prime Minister called the report “the biggest political lie in Malta’s history” and initiated an investigation into the allegations. In a letter sent on World Press Freedom Day, the organisation asked Dr Muscat to drop the libel case “as a personal affirmation of his commitment to justice”. The organisation also said that the libel cases place an unjust burden on the late journalist’s family. Continuing to pursue the case diminishes the Prime Minister’s commitment to bringing Mrs Caruana Galizia’s killers to justice, the CPJ said. The organisation also asked...