EU warns Malta against ‘interference’ in slain reporter probe

BRUSSELS: The EU has warned Malta against any “political interference” in the investigation of the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a fierce critic of the government.

In a phone call on Monday with Malta’s justice minister, European Commission Vice President Vera Jourova “insisted that the investigation has to be brought to conclusion without any political interference,” a spokesman said on Tuesday.

She also “expressed her concern regarding the situation in Malta,” the spokesman said. The phone call occurred a day after Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who has come under fire over his personal links to politicians implicated in the case, said he would step down in January. Caruana Galizia’s family on Monday called for police to investigate Muscat amid allegations he obstructed justice by protecting key figures in the case, including his chief of staff. Jourova, who oversees rule of law issues for the EU member states, underlined in the call that “more work needs to be done” in Malta on maintaining.