Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1179886
MATTHEW VELLA THE lawyer of Vincent Muscat 'il- Kohhu', one of the suspects accused of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has formally re- nounced his brief for his client. In what is a stunning turn of events, not least for his former client, Arthur Azzopardi – long-time legal repre- sentative of Muscat – filed his official renunciation of the brief and all other cases for Muscat, on Friday morning. In a comment to this newspaper, Azz- opardi said the decision to drop Mus- cat's brief had been a decision pertain- ing to his legal partnership and taken together with his partners. He did not comment any further. But it is a situation that leaves much to be desired for his client, who was revealed to have requested a pardon in return for information on the murder of Caruana Galizia – an invidious posi- tion for a suspect who is believed to be the weakest link in the chain of alleged murderers. Muscat, 57, was charged in December 2017 along with brothers George De- giorgio 'ic-Ciniz' and Alfred Degiorgio 'il-Fulu', with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017. Yet just two weeks ago, Muscat was said to have proven willing to provide information about his role in the exe- cution in return for a reduced sentence – which has come by offering the po- lice the name of a middleman implicat- ed in the murder, in a bid for a pardon or reduced sentence. maltatoday 2 today SUNDAY • 27 OCTOBER 2019 • ISSUE 1043 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY today today YOUR FIRST READ AND CLICK OF THE DAY WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT MT2 INSIDE Budget speeches: statesman versus the demagogue PAGES 14-15 maltatoday 2 INSIDE • LISTINGS • TV • LAW • CLASSIFIEDS Q and A Kris Spiteri This Week British comic book artist Mark Stafford Film In Fabric MATTHEW VELLA FRESH pastures lie ahead for the for- mer boss of the Planning Authority. Johann Buttigieg, whose tenure as PA executive chairman came to an end on Friday, is eyeing the vacant post of the Malta Tourism Authority CEO or that at Mater Dei hospital, this newspaper has learnt. Sources inside government said the "mutual consent" that led to Butti- gieg's departure from the PA also came with suggestions that he be moved to other high-profile public posts. Buttigieg's preference indicates that he is now hedging his bets on the min- isterial portfolios occupied by two potential candidates for the Labour leadership: deputy prime minister and health minister Chris Fearne, whose ambition has been clearly spelt out in his image-building campaigns, and tourism minister Konrad Mizzi, who recently canvassed party insiders over his interest in the leadership. Johann Buttigieg had been at the helm of the Planning Authority since 2013, implementing the Muscat's ad- ministration policy to 'demerger' the PA from its environmental arm, as well as implement speedier regularisations for planning illegalities, (continues) Tourism or Mater Dei: Johann Buttigieg eyes top jobs Daphne Caruana Galizia murder suspect's lawyer renounces brief €1.95 GEORGE VITAL ZAMMIT The State has been weakened, drastically INTERVIEW 16-17 END OF SUMMERTIME Clocks go back an hour PAGE 5 Arthur Azzopardi VITAL ZAMMIT INTERVIEW 16-17 as implement speedier regularisations for planning illegalities, PAGE 3