The family of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has not been informed that “more than two masterminds” who commissioned her assassination have been identified.

Caruana Galizia’s sister Corinne Vella told The Shift that the family has not been informed of any of the developments in the investigation published in today’s front page story in the Sunday Times of Malta, which said the police were “close to cracking the case”.

“Malta’s top criminal investigators” leading the murder probe said the investigation was at a “very advanced stage,” according to the report.

While the family was kept in the dark, the masterminds the police are meant to be pursuing may have got a timely alert since there has been no information on any arrests or confessions. It is unclear why “Malta’s top investigators” would take that risk.

These investigators, who were not named, gave no indication of whether these suspects come from the criminal, business or political world, according to the report. The sources quoted refer to “evidence that is not concrete,” and “a large amount of data that requires analysing” and then “more evidence in hand but won’t divulge more details”.

Despite delegations from the European Parliament and the Council of Europe holding interviews with government members, officials and law enforcement authorities demanding answers on the investigation as recently as last month, there has been no indication of any progress in the investigation until today’s sudden news that the police are close to cracking the case.

The leak comes at a time when the government is cornered on 17 Black, facing increasing calls for the resignation of Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri.

Since the mysterious owner of the Dubai company was revealed to be Tumas Group’s Yorgen Fenech, and since leaked emails had shown it was set up to pay Mizzi and Schembri’s companies €150,000 a month, the government has intensified its efforts to deflect the agenda.

The last time “investigators” leaked information to the press was when economy minister Chris Cardona’s links to those accused of Caruana Galizia’s assassination were revealed last month. The story was discredited as a result of information tabled in Parliament only a few days later.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, Labour MPs and government officials have refused to address questions on 17 Black, with Mizzi actively avoiding the press in breach of the law. Aggressive public relations campaigns have also been pushed to divert attention from the scandal.

The Prime Minister has refused the demand for political responsibility, defending his chief of staff and the Minister who was the face of the power station deal when it was the Labour Party’s rallying call to power.