Joseph Muscat has been a prominent politician in Malta for over a decade. He had been reportedly planning on retiring from political office in the near future. However, retirement seems to be coming earlier than had been expected.
In 2017, Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered. She was noted for her drive to expose and eliminate corruption. Muscat had promised that justice would be done, as The Christian Science Monitor reports. But an investigation has found possible links to the case that hit close to home for Muscat.
Wealthy businessman arrested, Muscat's chief of staff and two government ministers implicated
On November 30th, Maltese businessman Yorgen French was indicted. He is alleged to have taken part in the plot to murder Caruana Galizia. Earlier in the month, French has apparently been trying to flee the country. But he was stopped by the Maltese military.
Caruana Galizia had previously written about a mysterious company called 17 Black that French owns. She also alleged that there were links between the company and a number of Maltese political figures. The allegations include bribery and corruption.
After being taken into custody, French made an accusation of his own, according to the BBC. He claimed that the murder was organized by Keith Schembri, Joseph Muscat's chief of staff.
In the time since then, Schembri has resigned from his position. Two members of Muscat's Cabinet have also been implicated in the crime. One of them has resigned from his Cabinet position, but he remains a member of the Parliament.
Earlier in 2017, Caruana Galizia published claims about Muscat and his wife, Michelle. According to Caruana Galizia, the prime minister's wife owns an offshore company that was receiving illegal payments.
As the year rolled on, multiple major events occurred. One of them was Muscat winning a second term as prime minister. Four months later, Caruana Galizia was killed.
Soon after reports about the possible connections between Muscat and Caruana Galizia's death, calls began for his resignation. At first, he resisted. But the public outcry persisted and eventually became too much.
In a televised address, he announced that he would step down next month.
Muscat has been prime minister since 2013
Muscat rose to prominence in Malta as a journalist. His opinions could be found in print, on television and over the radio. Despite having been openly opposed to Malta joining the European Union, he would be elected to the European Parliament.
In 2008, he became the leader of the Labour Party. Shortly thereafter, he also became the leader of the opposition in the Parliament.
