Malta Anti-Graft Blogger Murdered in Car Bomb

One of Malta’s most renowned investigative journalists was killed Monday when a bomb exploded in her car just after she had left her home. Daphne Caruana Galizia ran a popular blog that exposed high-level corruption, including those at the very top.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said on Monday that he would “leave no stone unturned” in the search for the person or people behind the attack that killed one of his most outspoken critics, DW reported.

Local television reported that Caruana Galizia, who had exposed links between Malta and information contained in the so-called Panama Papers, had filed a complaint to police earlier this month about threats she had received.

Among other things, she had alleged that Muscat’s wife, Michelle, as well as his energy minister and the government’s chief of staff, had held companies in Panama. Both Muscat and his wife deny the allegations.

In the final entry on her blog, posted within an hour of her death, Caruana Galizia repeated an allegation that the chief of staff, Keith Schembri, was using his influence for self-enrichment.

The crime has shocked Malta, which has a low crime rate. A vigil was planned later on Monday.

  Assange Offers Reward for Finding Killers

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said he would pay €20,000 to anyone providing information leading to the conviction of the killers of Maltese journalist.

In a post on Twitter Assange expressed his horror at Caruana Galizia’s death.

“Outraged to hear that Maltese investigative journalist and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia has been murdered this afternoon not far from her home with a car bomb,” he said. Assange also added information about the proposed reward.