The following statement was given by Sven Giegold MEP in the session of the European Parliament held in Strasbourg on 24 October 2017.
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„October 16th, 2017, has been the saddest day for me personally as a member of this parliament. First of all, our sincere condolences go to the family of Daphne whom I got to know as one of the most courageous persons in the fight for justice in Europe.
Dear colleagues, the way Daphne was killed, tells us a lot about the unjust and criminal system which she was fighting: Daphne was killed in the open. There was no hiding, her murderers did not even try to let the attack appear like an accident. On the contrary: This was a brutal demonstration of power by those who consider to stand above the law. It is very clear, why the murders did not place a bomb under the car of the police chief or the attorney general: It was Daphne who shed light on a system of money laundering and corruption in Malta and not these authorities.
Let me just name a small selection of illegal or at least illegitimate activities that Daphne has made public: Letter box companies by members of the government. The sale of passports to so called investors. Tax avoidance for multinational companies. Online gambling based on weak supervision and hyper low taxation. All these cases have one thing in common: Malta has sold its sovereignty to dirty money. Malta has replaced the rule of law by a culture of impunity and fiddling between political and financial elites.
Dear colleagues, this is Europe, not Russia. Europe must act, when fundamental rights are at stake. It is now up to us to finish Daphne’s fight. And for that, we suggest five concrete steps: First, an international investigator has to be appointed who will be fully involved in the ongoing investigations on money laundering in Malta. Secondly, Malta should now finally join the European prosecutor. Thirdly, we demand a serious investigation by the European Commission on the rule of law in Malta and systematic treaty infringement procedure to enforce anti-money laundering law everywhere in Europe. Fourthly, we support Daphne’s family also in their demand for the Muscat government to step down. And fifthly, we are proposing to introduce a „European Galizia prize for investigative journalism“ modeled on the Sakharov Prize.
Dear colleagues, the murderous attack on Daphne was an attack on European values. Our fundamental principles. Let us not forget that people who suffer from corruption in their countries put their hope in Europe. Let us not disappoint these citizens, let us not disappoint Daphne and her family. Let us act together to defend our fundamental principles of democracy, rule of law and justice. Thank you.“