L-Atti tal-Inkjesta datata 19 ta' Novembru 2019, rigward skont it-Termini ta’ Referenza ta’ l- Inkjesta Pubblika dwar l- Assassinju ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Seduta miżmuma llum it-Tlieta 10 ta’ Diċembru 2019, fis-2:00 p.m. fit- Tieni Sular, Awla 20, il-Qorti.

Judge Michael Mallia :

Amanda Mallia wife of Pierre, daughter of Michael Vella and Rose Mamo, born in Sliema and residing in San Gwann states on oath in the English language.

The Witness :

First and foremost I would like to state that my sister Daphne is often incorrectly described as… ; such a ///implies that she had no fear; courageous is a more description. In an ideal world no journalist would have to be describe as courageous because the stories would be investigated by the police and the criminals they exposed prosecuted and may pay for their crimes. I have no doubt that have these institutions functions as they should and had the criminals Daphne’s expose been prosecuted for the criminal intense and other crimes then Daphne would be here today. And the criminals that she expose will be behind bars.

I am sure that Daphne knew that she was .. in dangerous ground with her investigate work. But she felt that it was her duty to expose the role that is Malta nonetheless. I remember telling her in her kitchen on October 1st, 2017 on stopping by.. putting .. of my daughter said to spent a day at her house; the last day we went to see her alive. In all proverbial … at her. That stop writing it’s just not worth it I told her. I mean that it was not with risk especially at that point in time with public opinion then heavenly against her. They were never actually spoke of her life being at risk with Daphne herself. I don’t think it was a subject any of us if approached with her directly. Despite our concern. Daphne’s response was that somebody has to do it; there is so much that needs to be written. I just need to find the time to do it. But her face was pensive, sad as she said it.

It’s hard to been point any particular occasion where Daphne may have feared her life was in danger. Although looking back that were spoke in her kitchen

she must have known that it was. Despite any impression people may have of her Daphne was a very reserved person. She was not wanted to talk about what was bothering her. Let still about what was worrying her, when we would meet up as a family or otherwise.

Having said that time I had long felt myself that her life was in danger because of what she wrote. Not least after the .. attacks on her home; with both attacks carried out when the family was inside the house. In fact when I had received that faithful telephone call she would have…. after 3:00 pm on October 16, 2017 tell me that a bomb had exploded in Daphne’s car, I was shocked but not surprised. Daphne’s life being cut short or something I always expected to happen, but always hoped never would. She was generally the first to break big stories and so particularly alone by the time her life was cut short. In year time when …up late at night and heard some explosion or other in the distance I would logon to Daphne’s blog to see if shows uploading comments on blog post. If she did upload any, then I would know that the explosion was nothing to do with her. It was my way of checking of knowing that she was all right rather then bringing her at home at some .. to check on her and having her call me ‘fussy’.

From then my daughters were still quite young definitely in early 2008 when they were sill aged 5 and 7; I found myself having to explain to them either on Daphne and sometimes a cousin, when mentioned the picture disparaging in the news or on television, telling them that they were being made a target because of Daphne’s work. And that they had none done nothing wrong. As more people began to have access to the internet the online abuse where there in the form of online comments of specific blog post written about Daphne escalated. Some comments were even written by people I had known for decades who felt protected by this … not realizing the gravity of their own words. At one point sometime of the Daphne had lounge her own commentary blog in March 2008 an entire website called tasteyourownmedicine.com also commonly refers to ‘TYOM’ was lounged; and was dedicated almost in its entirety to vilifying Daphne and various members of the family. In what was clearly in attempt that isolating her and alienating her even from those closest to her.

For example in August 1996, my parents, my sister Corinne and Helene, Daphne’s husband Peter and the children Matthew and Paul, and I had gone on a day trip to Mt Etna together. TYOM had not yet coming to be in, but somebody had likely kept the information about the trip in mind. Some years later around summer 2009 I was on holiday in Taormina with my 7 and 9 year old daughters, my parents and my sister Helene. At one point my father and I

had taken my daughters to a playground there to keep the girls entertained. A few short years later somebody had written on TYOM that my father had a second family in Sicily. This innuendo had also been made on a television program by its host Norman Hamilton, a non labour right who subsequently worked directly for the state representing Malta on a diplomatic mission. According to a comment under another TYOM blog post I was also apparently merit Your Honour Judge Michael Mallia.! Yes. And I had apparently run off, its somebody else.

This when I had never even seen or spoken to Your Honour before this public enquiring hearing today. The pathetic online discussion that in suite beneath the comment apparently I was even married to my husband’s brother had not bothered me; but it was clearly meant to get that Daphne by targeting me. Other personal comments on TYOM targeted various generations of my family and the extended family including long diseased ones. With one particularly cruel tsunami reference to my only uncle who had died in a storm at sea in 1990 and his body was never found. All these comments on blog post on TYOM were purely attempts are getting at Daphne psychologically by targeting those she held … If she would stop writing then me would be left alone. TYOM also made disappoint of referring to Daphne as ‘vloody’. A reference to transgender Italian politician called Vladimir sometime in the early 2000’s as is-sahhar tal-Bidnija – the witch of Bidnija, and other names in what can only be seen as an attempt to ridiculing her, or dehumanizing her further. And this from supporters of the party if not from the party itself, which is now in government and which marketed itself as pro-civil rights.

Sometime around March 2013 another blog glennbedingfield.com run by than PN communications aide Glenn Bedingfield came into being, and more or less stepped into the proverbial issues of TYOM with the letter becoming inactive or taken dawn around the same time although the mail have also been some overlap between the two. Glennbedingfield.com was dedicated almost in its entirety vilifying dehumanizing and discrediting Daphne. Yes a blog run by a state aide communication’s aide used to vilify dehumanize and discredit a journalist of an updated during office hours, within the office of the Prime Minister too. Vilifying Daphne on his blog was not enough for then states Glenn Bedingfield. He often used to tweet about each blog post too. Sometimes using disparaging remarks or names for her such as Bidnija…

Around February or March 2013, I was riding passed the roundabout just before Mater Dei hospital when taking my daughters to school in Swatar; only to be face to the huge labour campaign billboard with a photo of Daphne based in next to various nationalist politicians. Daphne was not a politician. No

…she was on any party’s payroll. I found myself having to explain to my

daughters in simple terms. They were then age 10 and 12. That labour party perceived Daphne as their enemy, and that the billboard was meant to picture her in a bad light to discredit her and her work. I always reiterated and I ..in appropriate way that it meant that Daphne was in the right which is why the Labour Party feared her.

On the eve of the election in March 2013, Daphne was arrested late at night for suppose that on breaching and written day of silence law. She was the only amongst … for arrest. Despite that fact that several politicians and candidates were updating their facebook pages on the same day of silence, including Helena Dalli, lawyer Mark Sant, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Michael Falzon of the Labour Party. The fact that she was arrested by a member of the homicide’s squad had looked to me like a warning although it may have been

.. coincidental.

Around September 2013 my elder daughter Megan became unwell and was hospitalized at Mater Dei hospital some seven times over the next year or 2. Sometimes as a day patient others as an inpatient. While various members of the family visited Megan in hospital I was worry about Daphne visiting her because of the possible reaction from hospital staff and fellow patients. For the same reason too there were even time where there have specifically ..for Daphne not to be told Megan was in hospital. By long the subject of hospital around April 2018, a friend of mine who was a medical specialist had told me that she was on operating theatre duty at Mater Dei in the afternoon of October 16th, 2017. She said that when news of the bomb reached at the hospital and before the medical staff knew the details of what had actually happened to Daphne they were preparing to deal with her case as an emergency in theatre. When the news that Daphne had not survived to the bomb eventually reached them some of the theatre’s staff to my friend’s horror actually began celebrating.

Two days ago after the national protest in Valletta I met another medical consultant I know. During the course of the discussion I brought the above incident up; and she confirmed that it was true. Yes, state employed medical staff! Medical staff trained and whose vocation supposedly is to save lives celebrating the horrific death of a woman by a car bomb! Such was the hatred against Daphne; where some people who were employed by the state to preserve lives actually celebrated my sister’s horrific death. In the same operating theatre where they were meant to deal with her possible injuries from the car bomb. I must rest that I know that not all the medical staff are the same. Because I know that the good… the harridans and there are human amongst them.

My daughters offered went out with Daphne in her car. ..photo shoots ..just early outing to some shop café or garden. It was always at the back of my mind that somebody might have tempered with Daphne’ s car to put her life in danger. And that my children might become unwitting victims too. But I wanted them to live as normal thier life as possible, nonetheless and tried not to worry about it as I have always tried not to worry about Daphne herself.

More recently, before Daphne’s assassination, possibly in early 2017, I believe that there was at least one parliamentary question about whether anyone in Bidnija had police protection, and, or about whether any journalist had police protection; and I can’t remember which, but I do remember the parliamentary question being asked. It was almost like the politicians were hinting that some criminals to do something to Daphne because she had no police protection.

Daphne was dehumanized my Malta government Ministers and other politicians on a regular bases often being referred to as an acronym rather then by her full name. She was also refer to her as a blogger and the hate blogger. The letter even by the Justice Minister Owen Bonnici himself in at least to one tweet in February 2017, and in an email he sent to a third party on April, 4, 2017, the letter which Daphne herself reproduced on her blog. Sometime after Daphne was assassinated it came to my attention that Neville Gafa` a state paid man who act in the office of the Prime Minister, nitoce is not clear in what position, had uploaded onto his personal facebook page various photos of Daphne on different occasions. The most disconcerting of these were some taken of Daphne and her husband Peter at various locations around Floriana in the 24 hours proceeding her assassination as they were going about the personal business on Sunday October 15, 2017. Other photos Neville Gafa` had uploaded on his personal facebook page included 3 uploaded on February 18, 2017, of Daphne in different locations around Valletta when shows in the company of my younger daughter Amy then age 14 and still a minor at law, walking Daphne’s dog Tony. Amy features clearly in at least one of the photos and partially in the others, but that is not the point. Somebody was talking Daphne for no apparent reason when she was out for relaxing early day with her niece, a minor, and Neville Gafa` who worked in the office of the Prime Minister had absolutely no coms about uploading the photos …who may have been himself took onto his facebook page. No police report was ever filed about this particular instance because bearing in mind that I became of these photos after Daphne was assassinated, we have already been tremor then enough as family.

Being out in public with Daphne especially after her face was out on the Labour Party campaign billboard in early 2013 and even more recently with the more people having direct access to internet with a smart phones could never be around of the mill normal occasion. People recognize Daphne wherever she was; and some of them tried to make it uncomfortable whether by staring or taking photos surreptitiously. Some months before Daphne was assassinated my mother and I had been told by the owners of one particular Café in Naxxar of which Daphne and other members of my family and I were regular customers, that around the day after of the photo of Daphne sitting there appeared on Glenn Bedingfield’s blog the Café was raided by the police for no logical reason; with even the books they had for sale taken off their shelves. The conclusion was that it was simple harassments. I think it was possibly to get that Daphne by making her feel uncomfortable about returning there.

A café in Naxxar was mentioned in the testimony given in court a few days ago by Melvin Theuma as one of the places Daphne frequented; as given to him specifically by Yorgen Fenech. That Café and the one which was searched are one in the same Café. Coincidence? I don’t know. It was around the same time her assassination was contracted.

On March 26th, 2017 I was with other members of my family, though Daphne was not with us. Walking Daphne’ dog Tony along the seafront in Sliema. We were then suddenly stopped by officials from the Animal Welfare Department. He wanted to know whom the dog belong to. And whether or not it was microchipped. And the normal circumstances this would not have been a problem, but without even discussing it we were all hesitate to give Daphne’s name. So we said – our sister, and then pressed for her name gave just literally her name Daphne, only given her surname impressed for it further. Well, one of us tried to get intouch with her to see whether or not the dog was chipped. It’s all to explain but somehow we collectively felled protected of Daphne; and the incident felt like an intrusion for something as simple as …as walking a dog. It was clearly a routine check, but with things as they stood and Daphne constantly being victimized by the government and these various entities made it fell like just another instance of harassment.

On May 1st, 2017, state paid parliamentary secretary Silvio Schembri uploaded photos of the May day mass meeting in Valletta with a caption fit-3 ta’ Gunju koalazzjoni shiha kontra Daphne Caruana Galizia. On the 3rd of June election day, a whole coalition against Daphne Caruana Galizia. Something which can only have been interpreted as inciting the masses against Daphne; when she was investigate if journalist not a politician. Let still a member of any political

party. On May 11th, 2017, just before the elections, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was addressing a labour party campaign event in Floriana; which he extended it in his official Prim Ministerial car making absolutely no separation between party and state, and he made a statement that Malta was being tarnished from Bidnija. A clear reference to Daphne and the stories she was exposing about the rout within his government. Yes. A political party leader who also happened to be the Prime Minister inciting the public against a journalist was simply doing her job. Daphne’s assassination had already been contracted by then, as confirmed by Melvin Theuma last week under oath in court.

On May 30th, 2017, a few days before the last election, parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri uploaded a political video on his facebook page and wrote – niddedika dan il-video lil Matthew Caruana Galizia. Nhar is-Sibt il- poplu Malti ser jivvota b’ sahhtu kollha biex jehles minn nies bhalu u ommu Daphne. I dedicate this video to Matthew Caruana Galizia. On Saturday the Maltese people are going to voted all the might to get rid of people like him and his mother Daphne. As I already stated Daphne’s assassination had already been contracted by then. It was put on hold when at the election date was announced, and the plan to assisinate was reactivated by Yorgen Fenech one of the owners of the controversial power station, the very same day the election result was known as confirmed by Melvin Theuma under oath in court last week. It felt and increase …looked like the institutions which are meant to be there to protect and serve the public when said .. to be a considered effort against Daphne. None of the criminals Daphne expose were ever persecuted for their crimes. On the other hand Daphne was harassed by police even over a parking tickets which rose issues viciously. With the police woman stating I believe to her superiors on stepping down from the witness standing court that’s what you told me to say isn’t it?

At the time of her assassination Daphne face …libel suits lunged by various members of the Maltese government and the associates. Even had her bank accounts frozen by the Economy Minister Chris Cardona and his aide Joe Gerada and even had the Prime Minister his now ex chief of staff Keith Schembri and the Justice Minister Owen Bonnici collude with the passports selling outfit Henley And Partners and via the none official @gov.mt mail addressees to threaten her with potentially financially tripling slapp suites. Unbeknown to her Daphne also face the slapp suite in the United States. A case withdrawn within hours of her assassination by Pilatus Bank’s Ali Sadr Hasheminejad the same man who now faces up to 125 years in prison if convicted of his crimes in the United States. And the same man who’s .. in Italy was reported the attended by the Prime Minister his chief of staff and

somebody who was supposed have carried out due diligence on Pilatus bank at licensing stage.

As a family we can have an idea of the horror of what Daphne endured in life by the lack of empathy and complete lack of humanity of some people we have come across since; and from the completely …couple who ….to take photos of myself, one of my sisters and my parents at Daphne’ grave to the taunting of passes by shooting by – bum bum bum and Joseph il-King at the scene of the bomb in Bidnija even when I stood there alone. As happened to Peter and Matthew as well I believe.

The online hatred in Daphne’s regard continues even today; with inhuman comment referring to her ‘kapuljat’, mincemeat, and as a jigsaw puzzle with missing peaces. These comments, these 2 particular comments online with directed at Matthew making it all the more shocking. Even the day after her life was cut short, news …is allowed GIF comments on the facebook pages of a dog running off with looked like a human leg bone. It doesn’t even bad thinking about. And yet such comments and hundreds of hours continued to be allowed online. The sense of impunity continues. Only last night my two other sisters became the target of several misogynistic hateful comments and means purely because they did protest outside the Minister’s office calling for justice for Daphne’s that morning.

Another shocking incident was in the summer of 2018, when the protest site calling for justice for Daphne opposite the law courts was boarded off for the restoration. I had gone there with my parents, Celine my younger sister, and Megan my eldest daughter, to place Daphne’s photo and some flowers next to railings which now are full of protest padlocks. A man and what not his young teenage daughter he had been next to us of them having first he can photos of us. Both of them shouting aggressively at us all, and physically insulting my elderly father to range Daphne’s photo and the bouquet of flowers out of my fathers’ hands in brought daylight. My father had refused to let go out of the photo, making the man more aggressive. The man eventually took it from him along with the flowers. Down the photo of Daphne in the bin and walked off waving the bouquet in the air in triumph. Nobody stopped to help; in brought daylight, in Valletta European capital of culture in safe sunny tourist in Malta in the year 2018. The photos taken in which my parents Celine and Megan appeared where then uploaded onto some facebook page or other; and got shed a few hundred time is over for people to name and shame them. One woman a known labour government supporter, Josephine this is for you, who use to be a neighbour of my parents for several years had absolutely no comps about

specifying whom the people of the photos were. No decency, no empathy, no basic humanity.

Another incident took place when Helena and I where on the protest side opposite court, putting up pictures, posters, flowers and candles, an I rattle a man appeared swearing and began throwing the flowers on photos and raping up the posters. We immediately put them back up again with the help of our sister Corinne who turned up at that point. And the man did the same again. A French television crew happened to be there at that moment and infamously caught it all on camera. Should anybody calling fur justice have to injure all this? Should anybody have to fight for justice in the first place? Should Daphne have been assassinated at all? No journalist should be killed for writing the truth.

The best protection that journalist can have is for the police investigate the stories and for the criminals to be prosecuted and may to pay for their crimes. If the institutions functions as they should, if the criminals Daphne exposed were investigated and may to pay for their crimes when she expose they are doing especially around the time of Panama Papers in 2016 when Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi remained protected in Joseph Muscat’s government, then the criminals would have been in jail not in power and Daphne would still be alive today. Daphne should still be alive today. We all here for justice, which also means justice for the crimes she exposed. Anything less would mean that not only we would have failed Daphne, but we would all also had failed the country that we all call it home.

Din hija s-sustanza tax-xhieda ta’ Amanda Mallia dettata minnha stess fil- prezenza ta’ l-istess xhud.

Niddikjara li traskrivejt bl-ahjar hila tieghi x-xhieda ta’ l-istess xhud.

Saviour Scicluna Traskrittur