In an exclusive report Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the Maltese police and "a court expert" have been briefed in detail by German criminal investigators from the specialist unit named "Olet", Latin for "something stinks". They were also handed around 800 files of information procured by German investigators. The report expresses uncertainty the documentation handed over will [...]

Minister Konrad Mizzi reiterated his case that the Panama revelations have no bearing because "no transactions were ever made, and no money was ever received by the trust and underlying company." I had the benefit of the company of someone who investigated over 5,000 cases of people suspected (many of them prosecuted and convicted) for [...]

This statement was sent earlier by Daphne Caruana Galizia's family: The manner in which today’s arrests were communicated to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family indicates serious institutional deficiencies which are cause for general public concern. The information about the arrests was communicated by the Prime Minister, and not by the Malta Police, who appear to prioritise [...]

The head of the government's customer care office proclaimed on Facebook that anyone from civil society making speeches yesterday should delete them. He hash-tags me. Since I did not deliver a speech but transcribed and translated Antonio di Pietro's on my blog, he must mean that Antonio di Pietro's speech is an embarrassment to be [...]

The Labour Mayor of Ħaż-Żebbuġ, Sarah Agius, has tweeted her praise of the prime minister for the imminent arraignment of 10 people in connection with the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Chapeau to @MaltaPolice. 10 suspects to be arraigned in court. Full trust in the Maltese Institutions and my Prime Minister @JosephMuscat_JM — Sarah Agius [...]

Announcing the arrests of 8 -- later 10 -- Maltese citizens in connection with the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, prime minister Joseph Muscat reminded his audience of a press conference Eddie Fenech Adami had given informing the press chief justice Noel Arrigo and judge Patrick Vella had been arrested for bribery. Joseph Muscat this [...]

There’s something suspiciously odd about Air Malta’s accounts. Its losses are supposed to have shot more than threefold from 4 million euro in March 2016 to 13 million euro in March 2017. The huge losses are being leaked when negotiations with some of the employee unions are nearing their crux point. Management want the airline’s [...]

This is my English translation of the speech by Antonio di Pietro at this evening's civil society demonstration. As you see even the skies have helped us. It stopped raining. We must have above all else the will and the courage to know that if we want to we will succeed. I want to tell [...]

Here are Paul Borg Olivier photos of Antonio di Pietro meeting with Daphne Caruana Galizia's widower Peter.

Minister Christian Cardona has been seeking applause for filing in court for the withdrawal of the garnishee orders he and his secretary had secured against Daphne Caruana Galizia while the libel suit they filed against her when she reported they visited a brothel in Germany and any potential appeal are heard and decided. Just shy [...]

Here's Alexandra Mizzi who runs her mother's toy shops while Marlene Mizzi is a Member of the European Parliament. You would think that being the proud daughter of public servants she would see the point of the public spirit of a few hundred people who participate in the democratic process by protesting their views. Her [...]

Read this statement by David Casa on the website of the European People's Party today. David Casa says he is "in possession of a damning FIAU report that concludes that criminal investigations should start against Minister Konrad Mizzi on alleged money laundering and the possible existence of money derived from crime." They tell us we have [...]

The Bank of Valletta is exposed to the tune of 360 million euro to fund the Electrogas power station. Temporarily the exposure is backed up by a guarantee provided by the government. But the government is impatient to withdraw that guarantee because that letter is a pain point for the government’s accountants seeking to balance [...]

The Times used just the right verb this morning: bafflement at the PN's decision to organise Christmas Drinks at one of the Silvio Debono db Group facilities. The PN and Silvio Debono fell out when the PN criticised the allocation of public land in St George's Bay to the db Group to develop a massively [...]

The Mainichi Shimbun, Japan's oldest newspaper and its newspaper of record, is covering the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the political context in Malta. It's so far that the stories have to start by explaining to readers where Malta is. Doing like the prime minister and stubbornly complaining of "bias" in the face of [...]

Deep down in everyone of us is the intuitive welcoming host. All of us shudder reading The Guardian's headline "MEPS disturbed by trip to Malta". We have thought of many adjectives to describe these islands. I have seen no glossy posters saying 'Visit Disturbing Malta'. This is where Joseph Muscat has brought us to. And [...]

Here is a report from iNews (an offshoot of the UK's The Independent) on the situation in Malta. It is significant that the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia is described as a "scandal". In everyone's but Joseph Muscat's mind, this is a political killing that carries political responsibilities. But Joseph Muscat calls the rest of [...]

I can understand where Carmelo Abela is coming from. Sort of. Take his point of view. A colleague of his was caught with a secret bank account in Panama. He did not resign. Another was caught inebriated during office hours a dozen times and was alleged to have visited a brothel while on business. He [...]

By resident guest George Farrugia Calleja: The EP Delegation has wrapped up its work and returned to Brussels more worried about the state of the Rule of Law in Malta than it was when it arrived. Even as a stand-alone, this is a damning indictment of Joseph Muscat and his cronies’ governance of the country. [...]

Instead of answering questions to a delegation that flew to meet him from the European Parliament, Brian Tonna of Nexia BT, accountant to the prime minister, former front-man for Mossack Fonseca, self-confessed debtor to his clients, proud owner of Egrant Inc in Panama, and one of the protagonists of the Panama Gang, treated Joe Cuschieri [...]