A man who claims to know the mastermind behind the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was granted a presidential pardon in Malta on Monday.
The Maltese government said in a statement that Melvin Theuma — described as a “middleman” in local media — was pardoned “so that he can testify on the facts.” The pardon extends to “other crimes that Theuma could have allegedly been involved in” but it “can be withdrawn if he fails to observe the conditions imposed.”
Prime Minister Joseph Muscat offered the pardon last week after Theuma, who was arrested on money laundering charges, said he could link the person suspected of commissioning the murder of Caruana Galizia to those who carried out the killing, as well as those who helped provide the explosive device used.
A day after the pardon was offered, police arrested Yorgen Fenech, a prominent Maltese businessman, on board his luxury yacht.
Three men — brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio and Vince Muscat — have been charged with the murder. They have all pleaded not guilty.
Caruana Galizia, a journalist and blogger, was killed by a car bomb near her home in October 2017.