Daphne murder leaks probe stalled by court expert's five-year delay, says police chief
Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa says a court-appointed expert has failed to extract mobile phone data for five years, stalling the leaks inquiry into the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case.
Court expert's inaction blocks Daphne leaks investigation, commissioner says
A court-appointed expert who has not completed his assigned task is holding up a police inquiry into leaks from the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder investigation, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa has said, according to Times of Malta.
Gafa told Campus FM host Andrew Azzopardi that police have been waiting since 2021 for the unnamed expert to extract data from a suspect's mobile phone — a delay now stretching five years.
"He was assigned a task in 2021 and still hasn't done that work. What can you do? Police seized a suspect's phone in 2021 and are still waiting for the expert to provide information on that phone," Gafa said.
The commissioner expressed frustration that police are routinely blamed for delays that originate elsewhere in the justice system.
Charges already filed, case still open
Charges have already been pressed against several individuals suspected of leaking information about the investigation into Caruana Galizia's 2017 assassination. Businessman Yorgen Fenech and former Office of the Prime Minister chief of staff Keith Schembri are among those facing charges. Both have testified under oath that they received and relayed information about the murder probe.
Gafa confirmed that the murder investigation itself remains active, noting that prosecutors told jurors during Fenech's trial earlier this year that the case is still open.
Jury system revision on the table
Asked about the current jury system, Gafa said he favours revisiting it and believes a broad consensus for change exists.
"The system should be revisited. Whether it should be tweaked or changed drastically is to be seen," he said. "It takes lawyers six years to graduate, but we then expect lay jurors to understand legal concepts like 'complicity'."
One proposal under consideration is requiring jurors to explain the reasoning behind their verdicts — an idea also floated by Justice Minister Clifton Grima. The Opposition has indicated it opposes that plan.
On claims by lawyer Jason Azzopardi that police have refused to investigate pre-election corruption allegations, Gafa noted that the law now allows Azzopardi to ask the courts to independently assess whether police acted on those claims.
Resources up, crime rate down
Gafa pointed to a substantial expansion of police capacity over recent decades. Human resources within the force have grown 57% over the past 25 years, outpacing Malta's population growth of 47%, he said. There are now four officers for every 1,000 citizens.
"And technology is a force multiplier. Before, all analysis was manual. Now automation helps us," he said.
The force's composition has also shifted: civilians now make up 15% of its total strength, including half the forensics department.
Gafa highlighted the creation of a dedicated domestic violence unit in October 2020, shortly after he took office in June of that year, as a turning point in how such cases are handled. Reports of domestic violence rose 68% in the five years following the unit's establishment — a figure he attributed to improved victim confidence rather than a rise in incidents.
Meanwhile, Malta's overall crime rate has continued to fall. Crimes per capita have dropped 41% over the past 20 years, from 47 per 1,000 residents in 2005 to 26 at present, Gafa said.
"Since I've been commissioner, not a single inquiry has been launched into the police's failure to investigate," he added, pushing back against critics who question the force's record under his leadership.
Source: Times of Malta