Reading Austin Gatt’s article with the above title in last Sunday’s Independent, I was impressed by the high moral and idealogocical stand he takes and willingness to “defend the rights of any individual to the enjoyment of their property or to proportionate compensation” (his quote) when they are denied it.Reading Austin Gatt’s article with the above title in last Sunday’s Independent, I was impressed by the high moral and idealogocical stand he takes and willingness to “defend the rights of any individual to the enjoyment of their property or to proportionate compensation” (his quote) when they are denied it.

I am curious if any shareholders of the “National Bank of Malta (NBOM)” would accept his words as strictly correct because the offer of compensation made by his department a few years ago was nowhere near proportionate to the loss of the bank’s shareholders when Mintoff denied them their rights and seized their property.

If, as he claims, “The Nationalist Party has fought for this principle” even before their 1987 victory, why is it that the shareholders of the NBOM are still in court after 30 years; surely this is a case of justice delayed hence “Justice Denied”.

I can only assume that everyone has a right to compensation unless you are a shareholder of “National Bank of Malta”, in which case you can rot in the halls of justice!

This raises the question: “Why have we been discriminated against?” Surely this goes contrary to the high principles of the “Nationalist Party”

Michael Micovic

SLIEMA