Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has welcomed the European Parliament’s support for a resolution on the rule of law in Malta, which he co-authored.
Carthy, a member of the Panama Papers Inquiry Committee, said the resolution came in response to last month’s assassination of an investigative journalist, as well as broader issues around fundamental rights, corruption, and the separation of powers in Malta.
He said:
“I welcome today’s vote in the European Parliament on the rule of law in Malta. I was one of the authors of this resolution, which comes in response to the assassination of the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack last month.
“The resolution makes a strong condemnation of this assassination, and calls for an independent international investigation into Daphne’s murder.
“It raises serious questions about some of the systemic problems in Malta regarding freedom of the media and independence of law enforcement bodies and the judiciary.
“We also focus on the fact that the political figures named in the Panama Papers and suspected of possible financial crime by Malta’s financial intelligence unit have not been investigated by the police and remain in government.
“We often criticise countries around the world on human rights issues. But it is vital that fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of the press, are upheld within the EU itself.”
