AG and Police Commissioner are sabotaging hospitals case with their absence – Robert Aquilina
Attorney General, Victoria Buttigieg, and Police Commissioner, Angelo Gafà, are sabotaging the hospitals court case with their absence, Repubblika Honorary President, Robert Aquilina, said on Wednesday.
He said that neither party was seen in court on both court arraignment dates, Tuesday and Wednesday. Aquilina stated that both parties are compromised and offer the “biggest insurance for the biggest political criminals in our country”.
Aquilina was asked by journalists in Valletta on Wednesday afternoon whether he was pleased with the prosecutors’ performance in court up to that point. Former Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, and others on Tuesday, and Central Bank Governor, Edward Scicluna, and former Deputy
Prime Minister, Chris Fearne, on Wednesday, appeared in court to face charges following the conclusion of a magisterial inquiry into the deal which saw three public hospitals passed on to be operated by the private sector.
Aquilina noted that in other cases of lesser significance, yet still important, both the AG and the Police Commissioner were present, guiding the prosecution in court. This time, both chose not to be in the courtroom.
He referenced former AG Anthony Borg Barthet and former Police Commissioner, John Rizzo, personally guiding the prosecution against former Judges, Noel Arrigo and Patrick Vella, after they were charged with taking a bribe to decrease a sentence in a drug dealing case.
Aquilina believes that such a high-level case should not be handled by subordinates, but should be represented by the top agents in both institutions.
Speaking about the court order on Tuesday, described by Joseph Muscat as a ‘gag order’, Aquilina said that it wasn’t as Muscat said it was. “What the order was that what has to happen in court, happens in court. It is not true that there is a general ban.”
Aquilina, responding to a separate question, said that it was confirmed in court on Tuesday that if it wasn’t for Repubblika asking for the magisterial inquiry, “the police Force weren’t going to conduct any investigation, and in fact didn’t carry out any investigation. Even after we asked for the magisterial inquiry, Police Commissioner, Angelo Gafa, and his predecessor, Lawrence Cutajar, still had an obligation to investigate.” He said that they had “abdicated from their responsibility.”
Aquilina said that the accused facing criminal charges over the past two days over the three hospitals’ deal should have been arrested by the police, and not summoned in a letter sent three weeks beforehand.
He said that the police should show up unannounced, arrest the accused and interrogate them, then bring them to Court with urgency.
Aquilina was asked about the need for journalists to have police protection over these two days, where he said that the situation simply should not be.
“The existing danger with regards to journalists exists because we had the Prime Minister undermining them, and painted them like he painted the judiciary, as enemies of the public”, Aquilina said.
He said that Muscat, and Robert Abela after him, have let impunity reign in the country.
Aquilina said that when the stories the media publishes, just as journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had done, are not investigated, journalists are being put in danger.
“In a normal country, even in Malta, whoever is accused of a crime, meaning Muscat, and members in the clique of the criminal and Mafia organisation, is arrested, and not given a threeweek pre-announcement, but rather are interrogated and brought to Court with urgency”, Aquilina said.
He said that unfortunately, Police Commissioner, Angelo Gafa, and Attorney General, Victoria Buttigieg, wanted the accused to have their supporters.
“They wanted a crowd and put police officials who were protecting journalists and activists with all they could in danger too. They do not need to confront a crowd of angry people incited by the Prime Minister”, Aquilina said.
He said that there is an existing fight between institutions, as the executive led by Abela is attacking other organs of the state, namely the judiciary and the media.
It was revealed by a witness in Court on Tuesday that there was no independent police investigation, which Aquilina said was “obscene”, reminding that the public inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s assassination said that Muscat had created a state of impunity in the country, which led to the murder in that criminal manner.
He said that impunity continues to reign today thanks to Abela, Gafa and Buttigieg. Aquilina continued that on Tuesday, the Maltese public had truly started to understand that the Mafia in Malta does exist.
Aquilina also said that Abela is weak, and is nothing but “a puppet in the hands of Muscat”.
“Abela is not fulfilling his duties, he is irresponsible, is not protecting citizens, and is only interested to save politically. He is not capable of putting his foot down and taking a political stance on behalf of his party”, he said.
Aquilina continued that Abela should take the necessary steps to kick Muscat out of the Labour party, just as Schembri and Mizzi were, after all, removed.