Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/888285
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 18 OCTOBER 2017 News 4 MATTHEW AGIUS HOMICIDE investigators are understood to be working through a list of suspects in relation to the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The slain journalist had no shortage of enemies in Malta, having penned critical, and sometimes hurtful stories about many prominent politi- cians and businessmen. She was no stranger to libel cases. At the last count, Caru- ana Galizia had 42 pending civil cases against her. Among the most recent and most salient were a string of cases filed by leader of the Opposition Adrian Delia, whom Caruana Galizia had linked to a prostitution racket in Soho. She had insisted that De- lia had kept the proceeds of a number of West London brothels in a bank account bearing his name. Delia in- sists the account was a cli- ent account and that he dis- continued his relationship with the company owning the property after becoming aware of the property's use. Other plaintiffs include the Jordanian businessman be- hind the American University of Malta project. Hani Hasan Naji Salah sued for libel over an article in which Caruana Galizia suggested that he had met with former Times of Malta boss Adrian Hillman to discuss money laundering. Another pending libel case is that of Phyllis Muscat, for- mer head of the Common- wealth task force (CHOGM), who sued Caruana Galizia over claims that she had re- ceived commissions from ho- tels hosting delegates. Prime Minister Joseph Mus- cat also has a pending libel case, in which he is contesting Caruana Galizia's report that his wife was connected to an offshore company in Panama. db Group owner Silvio Debono has no fewer than 19 pending libel cases against the journalist, filed in the wake of the invoices scandal that engulfed the Nationalist Party this year. There are also the libel cases filed by Economy Minister Chris Cardona over allegations in connection with an official business visit in Germany. This case had caused widespread controversy after the minister sought to freeze Caruana Gali- zia's bank accounts before the case even started. Caruana Galizia's next court sitting in the libel filed by minister Konrad Mizzi over a story alleging that he had left the offices of Pilatus Bank late at night was in three weeks' time. Mizzi had filed another libel case with his wife Sai Mizzi Liang in 2014 over an article that alleged he was having an affair with his communi- cations coordinator, Lindsey Gambin. Gambin had also sued. This year Caruana Galizia had been served with a string of financially crippling gar- nishee orders, accompanying libel suits filed by Economy Minister Chris Cardona and his associate Joe Gerada over a story she had published. The journalist alleged the men were in a German brothel while on an official visit to the country. A public fundraising campaign provided the cash to release the garnishee or- ders. She had been hit with an- other libel case, filed in June last year, by Alfred Mifsud, then deputy governor of the Central Bank of Malta after Caruana Galizia alleged he had received kick backs over an IT project when he was chairman of Mid Med Bank in the 1990s. Former PN MP Jeffrey Pulli- cino Orlando had been anoth- er target of Caruana Galizia's Running Commentary blog – both he and his relatives had been subjected to ridicule with the aid of some unsight- ly Facebook snapshots. He also has a pending libel case against the slain blogger, over comments posted beneath one of the articles. Daphne Caruana Galizia had 42 pending libel cases Andrew Borg Cardona, a lawyer and family friend of the slain journalist, says it is up to the people to uphold the rule of law in the wake of Monday's murder MATTHEW AGIUS A sizeable crowd gathered in front of the law courts yesterday afternoon in a show of defiance following Monday's murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Delivering a short fiery speech, lawyer Andrew Borg Cardona said the event was a call for action. "It is up to us to uphold the rule of law," Borg Cardona told the crowd, as he broke down. Pe- ter Caruana Galizia, the late journalist's husband, is a partner with Borg Cardona in a legal firm. "Everyone who once said she's going over the top, she's gone too personal. We're all to blame. We expect that eve- ryone does everything for us. We must do things ourselves... It's in your hands now. In your hands!" Borg Cardona pointed to the courts be- hind him, saying "these are the last pillar we have because the others are no more, and they must defend us". The event was attended by Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia, his predeces- sor Simon Busuttil and many other PN officials and MPs. At one point the crowd chanted "as- sassins" and the short event concluded with people singing the national an- them. People gather in front of law courts in support of murdered journalist