Government officials were noticeably absent from President of the European Council Charles Michel’s meeting with the family of assassination journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, where he also paid tribute to the site of her murder.

“Thank you to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who today made a strong point of insisting on meeting with #DaphneCaruanaGalizia‘s family and paying tribute to her at the site of her assassination in Bidnija while on an official visit to Malta,” MEP Roberta Metsola wrote on social media.

“He was not accompanied by any officials from Robert Abela’s Government.”

State representatives typically accompany visits for officials across the world, especially if they occupy major positions like Michel.

“Europe and the world will not forget,” Metsola said.

Caruana Galizia was murdered by car bomb on 16th October 2017. There has been a tense relationship between the government and activists ever since, with a memorial site erected beneath the Great Siege Monument being regularly cleaned until Prime Minister Robert Abela intervened.

Yorgen Fenech, the Tumas Group businessman connected to the Electrogas and the Panama Papers scandal, has been charged as the alleged mastermind in the crime. Electrogas defaulting on its massive loans because of major corruptions allegations has emerged as the main motive.

Former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat has been interrogated under caution, while his right-hand-man Keith Schembri remains under investigation. The pair, it has been revealed, shared an intimate relationship with Fenech.

With links between the past administration and the murder only growing, continuing to ignore the issue is not the way forward.