Daphne Foundation questions Bedingfield\u2019s appointment to Home Affairs portfolio<\/p>\n
The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has questioned Glenn Bedingfield’s appointment as Minister for Home Affairs, pointing to findings of the public inquiry into the journalist’s assassination which identified him as a key figure in a campaign that sought to undermine her work.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on Thursday, the foundation said the inquiry had found that Bedingfield played a central role in efforts to dehumanise Daphne Caruana Galizia and discredit her journalism while serving within the Office of the Prime Minister.<\/p>\n
The foundation referred to a section of the inquiry report which stated that “there were elements both within State entities and, in particular, within the Office of the Prime Minister that actively acted to thwart the journalist in her work and contributed to a sustained campaign in an organised manner”.<\/p>\n
The inquiry board found that this campaign had “its strongest outlet in social media” and that “its worst expression was the blog which was set up and led by the Honourable Glenn Bedingfield who occupied a position within the Office of the Prime Minister”.<\/p>\n
The foundation also criticised the government’s record in implementing the inquiry’s recommendations. It argued that, since the report was published in 2021, successive administrations led by Prime Minister Robert Abela had failed to carry out the reforms proposed by the inquiry board.<\/p>\n
It said the government had “failed to implement the recommendations of the public inquiry and stonewalled all international and local attempts to support and collaborate on the implementation” of those measures.<\/p>\n
The public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s assassination concluded that the Maltese state had created a climate of impunity that facilitated the circumstances which led to her murder in October 2017.<\/p>\n
According to the foundation, Bedingfield’s appointment to the home affairs portfolio raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to respecting and implementing the inquiry’s findings and recommendations.<\/p>\n