Former Police Commissioner John Rizzo and former Assistant Commissioner Michael Cassar, who now heads the Secret Service, have both said at separate times that there was sufficient evidence for charges to be filed against John Dalli in the 'snus bribery' case. They were, in fact, ready to file those charges when Rizzo was summarily dismissed and replaced by Peter Paul Zammit. Practically the first thing Zammit did on taking office was to announce that the police had dropped their case against Dalli, whereupon Dalli immediately gave thanks with holy mass celebrated by his brother (the other one) and the prime minister called him in and announced before the assembled press that he was appointing him to his right hand as his very own special consultant on health matters. There was a good deal of rejoicing, even as we received further news that more investigations had been opened in Brussels into John Dalli's behaviour while he was a European Commissioner.

And yesterday there was more, which removed any last elements of doubt that anybody could possibly have had that the police were themselves divided on the matter of whether to arraign Dalli. Former Deputy Police Commissioner Joe Cachia told a House Privileges Committee hearing yesterday morning that "all the members of the police team" who investigated the John Dalli/Silvio Zammit case had agreed that there was enough evidence to prosecute them.

Cachia was speaking at a hearing of the House Privileges Committee, which is meeting to hear the breach of privilege complaint brought by the prime minister against the Leader of the Opposition, who accused him of interfering to pervert the course of justice by making sure that Dalli was not charged and that investigations ceased. He didn't actually use the legal terminology 'pervert the course of justice', but that is exactly what he meant, and it is also what it looks like. If the prime minister himself did not pervert the course of justice, then one of his ministers did. The removal of Rizzo at the point where he was about to arraign Dalli, and his replacement with Peter Paul Zammit who dropped the case immediately he took office, followed by the prime minister's celebration of Dalli with a press call designed to lionise him before the press, all point incontrovertibly in that direction. And if it was the Police Minister - he who is invariably in the news for the wrong reason - who did this, then the prime minister is still responsible because whether he likes it or not, and he does not, the buck stops with him.

Joe Cachia also told the House Privileges Committee that John Rizzo had decided to start a new investigation when the European Union's anti-fraud office made its report public. Investigating officer Angelo Gafa is due to testify before the committee in January, and he will say the same thing, given that Cachia explained they were all agreed. Where does that now leave the prime minister? He filed a breach of privilege complaint against the Opposition leader in the spirit of defiant bravado, but this particular one of his petards is going to hoist him good and proper. So far, everything that has been said in the hearing points in the direction of political interference to stop the investigation into Dalli and his arraignment.

All the officers working on the investigation were cleared out, including the Commissioner, and the incomers would have had instructions not to proceed. That is the only explanation why they would not have sought a handover or advice on how to proceed in the Dalli case from their outgoing colleagues. These are matters police officers discuss with their peers in the police corps, and not with their political patrons.

Joseph Muscat has a lot of explaining to do, and brazening it out, trying to get away with murder, is not going to help him now that his government's credibility has been severely weakened by one mess after another. To borrow a metaphor from the Education Minister, this government's virginity has been split asunder by two gunshots from his colleague's driver. And the famous power station on which this government has hinged its reason for being is still nowhere to be seen. Even the deadline now has a deadline that hasn't been met.

If it weren't so bad and sad, it might even be funny. But this is not a film we're watching. It's a life we're living.