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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2026 NEWS CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 "I never had cases of corrup- tion, I never had cases of nep- otism, but this journalist, and I will call her a journalist, did not carry out investigations on me. Instead, she sought to diminish me on a personal level… I un- derstand those elements with- in the party, who still feel sore about her writing." Caruana Galizia was mur- dered on 16 October 2017 in a powerful car bomb shortly after leaving her house in Bid- nija. Nine years on her legacy remains divisive. Agius Saliba insists he never sought to deny Caruana Gali- zia's role as a journalist. "I nev- er went to Brussels to say she was not a journalist, or that she wrote gossip, because I don't think that is right after such a tragedy," he says. 'The verdict shocked everyone' Asked about the PL's extrem- ist label given to people who attended the Valletta protest after Yorgen Fenech was ac- quitted of Caruana Galizia's murder, Agius Saliba rejects the claim. He says criticism was directed at the Nationalist Party's reac- tion to the verdict rather than at people exercising their right to protest. "We called extremist the Nationalist Party's reaction shortly after the acquittal say- ing the murder was concocted in Castille," he says. Agius Saliba says his own crit- icism was about the "rushed reaction" by the Opposition following the verdict. "What we criticised was the lack of political maturity shown by the Opposition leader who holds a constitutional role," he says. The PL deputy leader adds that he has no issue with peo- ple who use their right to pro- test. "But those who have a po- litical role should not be using the acquittal to gain political mileage," he insists. "The ver- dict shocked everyone, includ- ing me, but to use it to go to the European Parliament and attack Malta's reputation, for me is not acceptable." Agius Saliba says he under- stands why people could be angry at the failure to establish who was ultimately responsible for Caruana Galizia's assassina- tion. Nonetheless, he remains cautious about criticising the verdict. "The thing which gives me peace of mind most is the re- action by the Caruana Galizia family who praised the work carried out by the people who led the investigation, like As- sistant Commissioner Keith Arnaud, who spent these past years securing evidence," he says. The PL deputy leader says he would have been concerned had the government, the La- bour Party or individual poli- ticians attempted to interfere with the investigation. "I would have been worried if the government, the Labour Party or a politician tried to suppress the investigation, and prevent the police from doing their job. But this was not the case, and this was said by the family themselves," he says. Watch the full interview on maltatoday.com.mt and our socials Agius Saliba says he never sought to deny Caruana Galizia's role as a journalist Thousands marched through Valletta calling for justice over Caruana Galizia's assassination (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) Labour MEP and Deputy Leader Alex Agius Saliba (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) 'I never went to Brussels to say she was not a journalist, or that she wrote gossip, because I don't think that is right after such a tragedy'

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