We want a free Malta, where the truth comes out and institutions are truly independent

• Opposition and PN Leader tables a Motion in Parliament obliging the Government to implement the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia by the end of October – the Government refuses to debate it and is not prepared to discuss it
• Alex Borg also calls for a public guarantee of the absolute independence of investigations into third parties which must continue on the Judge’s orders following what emerged during the trial
• During the parliamentary sitting requested by the Opposition, the PN Leader appeals to the Prime Minister to choose the side of the people, in the national interest

“At this moment, my duty is one: to safeguard the national interest, and that is what I am doing, unlike others.”

This was the message delivered by Opposition and Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg, during the urgent parliamentary sitting requested by the Opposition in light of the latest developments connected to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

At the start of his speech, the Leader of the Opposition tabled a Motion obliging the Government to implement the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia by the end of October. However, the Government immediately blocked the discussion and refused to debate the Motion.

After spending five full years obstructing the implementation of the recommendations made by the three judges who led the Public Inquiry, Robert Abela today once again came to Parliament to keep those recommendations on the shelf.

In his speech, Leader of the Opposition Alex Borg said that Robert Abela can no longer evade the political responsibility he carries to ensure justice is done. He said the Prime Minister sought to portray as partisan a Motion that asks for nothing more than a functioning State, stronger justice and the protection of its citizens.

Alex Borg said the Maltese and Gozitan people are shocked by what has emerged in Court over recent weeks and by the fact that, nine years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, her family and the country are still searching for the full truth and for justice.

He said his first thoughts remain with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family – a family that lost a mother, a daughter and a wife, and which has had to continue fighting for justice which, in a democratic country, should be a fundamental right.

The Leader of the Opposition recalled that the Public Inquiry found the State responsible for creating a climate of impunity that enabled the assassination of a journalist, and stressed that it is unacceptable that, to this day, important recommendations from the Inquiry remain unimplemented.

These include recommendations aimed at strengthening the fight against money laundering and criminality, as well as providing greater protection for journalists.

Alex Borg also stressed the need for investigations to continue in complete independence. He referred to the Court’s order that testimony and material emerging during the trial which may concern third parties be investigated, and called on the Prime Minister to publicly guarantee that this investigation will be completely free from any political interference.

“The interests of the people demand that justice be served through serious and independent investigations, without political interference,” Alex Borg said.

Alex Borg also recalled how, just a few months ago, a judge wrote to Cabinet and responsibly warned that, in the critically important choice of Chief Justice, Robert Abela gives greater weight to political considerations than to the interests of the people.

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista said Malta needs the genuine freedom of its institutions: a Police Force free to investigate anyone; a judiciary free from pressure or influence; journalists free to investigate without intimidation; public officials free to carry out their work without fear; businesses that succeed through merit rather than connections; and citizens who know that everyone is treated equally before the law.

“We want a free Malta, a country that gets to the truth. This must be a free country,” Alex Borg said.

In a direct appeal to Prime Minister Robert Abela, the Leader of the Opposition said this is a moment when the national interest must be placed above every partisan interest.

“We are at a crossroads. I am extending a hand of friendship to you in the national interest. Not for me, not for you, not for the red side and not for the blue side, but for us Maltese and for us Gozitans. Choose the right path and come with us, on the side of the people,” Alex Borg concluded.

Meanwhile, the Motion which Robert Abela refused to debate today obliges the Government to fully implement all the recommendations of the Public Inquiry conducted by three judges into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia – recommendations which, five years on, the Government is still resisting implementing.

The Motion deplores the delay in implementing the recommendations and demands that the Government commit itself to implementing all the recommendations of the Inquiry by no later than the end of October.

The Maltese and Gozitan people expected both sides of the House to come together today in the national interest and approve this Motion. The Government chose otherwise.

04.09.2026

– Click here to read the Motion tabled by Leader of the Opposition and of the Partit Nazzjonalista Alex Borg, during this morning’s parliamentary sitting, which the Government refused to debate.