Valletta (AFP)

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, suspected of interfering with the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and under intense pressure to step down, announced on television Sunday that he will resign in January.

Joseph Muscat, in power since 2013, did not mention in his speech the murder of the journalist, saying he would resign after the appointment of his successor by January 12, "because it's the thing to do ".

Earlier in the day, he had obtained the support of parliamentarians and ministers from his political party, the Labor Party, to remain in office until January.

On Saturday, sources at the Labor Party said the party would choose a new leader on January 18 and that Muscat would "formally resign when the new leader is chosen."

Pressure has intensified in recent days on the head of the Labor government to immediately leave office.

The family of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, killed in the explosion of her car bomb on October 16, 2017, the opposition (Nationalist Party) and civic movements accused him of intervening in the investigation, including to protect his Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.

Muscat's critics suspect him of having forced the government this week to reject a measure of thanks for the entrepreneur Yorgen Fenech, charged with complicity in the journalist's assassination, who promised in exchange to say "all that 'he knows".

The 38-year-old magnate, co-owner of the Tumas family group (hotels, casinos, cars, energy), had just named Mr Schembri as the "real sponsor" of the murder.

The chief of staff resigned in the middle of the week at the same time as the Minister of Tourism, Konrad Mizzi.

Heard by the investigators, Mr. Schembri was released on Thursday, triggering the anger of the Caruana Galizia family who argued that "at least two witnesses and multiple clues implicate Schembri in the assassination".

Daphne Caruana Galizia dug the Maltese part of the Panama Papers, which revealed the existence in Panama of numerous offshore accounts opened by companies and personalities from around the world, and discovered documents linking Panamanian companies to Schembri and Mizzi.

She had also revealed that a company in Dubai, the 17 Black, had paid 2 million euros to MM. Schembri and Mizzi for unspecified services. The consortium of journalists Daphne Project, which resumed its investigations, revealed that the 17 Black belonged to Fenech.

Thousands of demonstrators were expected Sunday early in the evening to demand the resignation of Mr. Muscat, for the seventh time in two weeks.

© 2019 AFP