The Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat has announced that he will resign in January amid political turmoil over the murder of renowned investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, CNN has reported.
In an address that was televised, the embattled PM informed the president that he would tender his resignation as the leader of the governing Labour Party on 12, January, 2020.
"Every single day of these past two years I have shouldered responsibilities and taken decisions. I made decisions in the best interest for the conclusion of the case and I am convinced that some decisions were good while others could have been better," the PM said according to the CNN report.
The ruling party is expected to hold a leadership vote in January to elect Muscat's successor.
In his speech, the PM said he had lived up to his promise to bring those behind the death of Galizia to justice.
"As Prime Minister, I promised two years ago that justice would be done in the case of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia," Muscat said as quoted by Aljazeera. "Today, I am here to tell you that I kept my word," he added.
His announcement comes in the wake of his chief of staff Keith Schembri tendering his resignation following his implication in the murder investigations.
Schembri, who had been implicated by the slain journalist in underhand dealings, resigned reportedly to help law enforcement authorities with investigations.