Roberta Metsola Dedicates State Of The Nation Speech To Daphne Caruana Galizia

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola used her address at the State of the Nation conference to reflect on the aftermath of this week's verdict in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder case, saying the country could not discuss its future without first confronting its present.

Metsola said she had changed her prepared speech following the verdict, expressing solidarity with Caruana Galizia's family and describing the journalist as "a bastion of courage" whose most powerful weapon had been her writing.

She said Caruana Galizia had exposed corruption and abuses of power, bringing to light what others sought to conceal.

Referring to the evidence heard during the trial, Metsola said it had reminded the nation of the brutality of the assassination and of the failures of institutions that had already been identified by the Public Inquiry.

She argued that the verdict had not brought an end to the search for justice, but had instead raised further questions.

According to Metsola, justice means not only identifying those who carried out the murder, but also discovering who ordered it, financed it, assisted it and covered it up.

Metsola said both Caruana Galizia's family and the Maltese and Gozitan people had a right to know the full truth and to have confidence that the State serves its citizens rather than those in positions of power.

She concluded that the journalist's legacy continues to live on in those who believe in political integrity, freedom and justice, urging the country to leave future generations a better Malta than it inherited.

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