The death of a journalist topples the Prime Minister of Malta

Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Moscat announced on Sunday that he intends to step down, following heavy pressure following an investigation into the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galicia in a car bombing in 2017.

An investigation into the killing of the journalist, who specializes in anti-corruption cases, led to charges on Saturday against a businessman allegedly linked to ministers and senior officials.

The 38-year-old businessman, Juergen Finich, was taken to a court in the capital Valletta late on Saturday and charged with complicity in the journalist's murder.

"I will write to the president of the Labor Party about the start of the process of selecting a new leader on January 12, 2020," Moscat said in a televised address.

"Our country is starting a short-term process, for about a month, during which Labor will choose a new leader and prime minister," he said.

Thousands of anti-government protesters, led by family members of the murdered journalist, took to the streets of Valletta on Sunday and marched from parliament to the courthouse in the city center.

Earlier, the government had rejected Fenich's request for immunity from prosecution in exchange for disclosure of information about the murder plot and corruption allegations involving Keith Shambari, former chief of staff of the Muscat office, and former tourism minister Conrad Mezi and others.

The murdered journalist wrote that Chambéry and Mizi founded secret companies in Panama. Another company, 17 Black, would have been a means of depositing money for the two companies, and after the murder of Caruana Galicia, an investigation by Reuters and the Times of Malta showed that Finish was the owner of 17 Black.

The family of the Maltese journalist, the opposition Nationalist Party and civil movements accused Moscow of interfering in the investigation by protecting his aide Keith Shambari, who was overthrown by the scandal and two ministers.

Soon after Vinesh's arrest, Chambéry, Tourism Minister Conrad Metzi and Economy Minister Chris Cardona resigned. Police sources said Finish admitted that Shambari was the "real architect" of the murder.

Muskat, 45, came to power in 2013 and is in his second term after being re-elected in June 2017 in early elections.

The elections were held after accusations of corruption touched some of those around him after the publication of the "Panama Papers", which revealed the opening of financial accounts and provided tax havens in Malta to personalities and companies from all over the world.

Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb placed under her car on October 16, 2017, was working on the slit related to Malta in those papers.