The Nationalist Party parliamentary group cannot agree with the appointment of Ian Refalo and Anthony Abela Medici to form part of the public inquiry into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the party said in a statement.
The party said on Wednesday that its parliamentary group had met to discuss the appointment of the public inquiry, noting that the government had dragged its feet right until the Council of Europe’s imposed deadline to appoint the inquiry.
The PN said that the outcome of the inquiry should leave no doubt, and therefore the composition of the board leading the inquiry should have the unanimous approval of all parties, not least the Caruana Galizia family.
The party said that the parliamentary group had unanimously agreed with the decision for Justice Emeritus Michael Mallia to lead the inquiry but said that, notwithstanding their professional abilities and their integrity, they could not agree with the appointment of for Faculty of Law dean Ian Refalo and forensic expert Anthony Abela Medici for a number of reasons.
The party said that in any case, the Opposition considers that in this material, the position of the Caruana Galizia family should be respected in full, and that under no circumstance should a person not fully trusted by the family be appointed onto the inquiry board.
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat on Sunday showed no signs of doubt in the members of the inquiry, saying on Sunday that he had full confidence in the board and that he was looking forward to meeting the Caruana Galizia family on the matter.
The family had requested the meeting after taking issue with the fact that Refalo had represented persons who were investigated by Daphne Caruana Galizia in the past.
