WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an outspoken advocate for combatting corruption and press freedom, released the following statement Tuesday after journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the lead reporter of the Panama Papers exposé, was killed in a car bombing in Malta yesterday:
“Once again, the international community must mourn a journalist who appears to have been killed for their work to expose corruption. Daphne Caruana Galizia was among the many brave journalists who helped to expose the illegal financial schemes documented in the Panama Papers. I send my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones.
“Journalists, by their very work, help make it possible for us to live in open, free societies where leaders are held accountable.
“The lack of transparency in corporate registration and financial documentation is a key link in the global network of crime. We here in the United States must do better in shining a light on this problem.
“I urge the government of Malta to complete a full and impartial investigation into Ms. Caruana Galizia’s death. I am encouraged that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other nations’ experts will be supporting such an effort.”
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