Investigation of the car-bomb murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia who triggered an early election in Malta last year when her investigation of the Panama Papers pointed the finger at government officials, has to date produced no results. Now Joseph Muscat’s administration, elected despite corruption allegations, is under a two- pronged attack. A collaboration of international media organisations, including the Guardian, has come together and pledged to continue Galizia’s work. And Malta’s government has been told to take urgent action to implement EU anti-money laundering rules, as MEPs rang the alarm about the dangers for journalists investigating financial crime. EU politicians are demanding a broader inquiry into her murder. “The European commission has to overcome its light touch policy on the rule of law problems in Malta and urgently act as the guardian of European values,” said a spokesman for a European parliament inquiry launched following the Panama Papers. The commission itself piled pressured on Malta, one of eight EU member states that missed a deadline last year to put an EU anti-money laundering directive into national law. There are calls for the resignation of two senior politicians, one of them Muscat’s chief of staff, named in the Panama Papers.
Malta, 21 September 1964 12 am, is going through a swampy patch with tr Neptune opposing the Uranus Pluto in Virgo and next year conjunct the Pisces Moon; with an insecure, shocking’ tr Uranus square Mars in 2019 as well. The Malta Jupiter is conjunct the destructive Fixed star Algol; as indeed was Galizia’s born less than a month earlier.
Muscat’s 2nd Term chart, 5 June 2017 12.10 pm has a slippery 7th house Neptune square a Gemini Sun; with Mercury conjunct Algol. More pointedly it has an entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine (in the hidden houses) of Uranus Venus in the 8th house of finances trine Saturn trine North Node, formed into a Kite by Saturn opposition Mars in Cancer in the 10th – not short of ambition or ruthless drive, but liable to mishaps and setbacks. Plus a grandstanding Pluto in the 5th in a pushily confident square to Jupiter in the 2nd – money definitely floats its boat. There’ll be more upsets late this month into May and again late in the year into 2019.
The serious media is getting its act together in these collaborative efforts after years of investigative journalism lagging because of the expense.
[See Post October 17 2017]