The Labour Government does not realise the suffering that it has put the country through due to its corruption, PN MP Beppe Fenech Adami said on Monday.

This comes after last Saturday, 11 people were charged with money laundering, with Keith Schembri being one of the most notable figures due to the position of Chief of Staff he held during former PM Joseph Muscat’s tenure.

Schembri was charged with corruption and money laundering, and was refused bail on Saturdya, meaning that he is spending his immediate future inside Corradino Correctional Facility.

“Last Saturday, the people of this country experienced a small step towards this country being able to rest. A small step closer to justice, primarily with a person who was killed because she revealed wrongdoings”, Fenech Adami said.

Fenech Adami pointed out that when civil society groups went to protest in front of Castille, the Government had made fun of them. “When Occupy Justice went to protest, the Government made fun of them. This is justice for the Nationalist Party as well.”

This Labour Government is part of the problem, he said. “You elected a leader who is continuing in the same steps of Joseph Muscat. You cannot come here and say that you do not have anything to do with this; this happened during Labour’s tenure. You have to shoulder political responsibility.”

The PN MP said that Prime Minister Robert Abela is part of this problem, as he was part of the Government when this happened and held the position of consultant to then-PM Joseph Muscat, meaning that he was sharing the same building with Keith Schembri.

“Robert Abela yesterday morning said that it wasn’t under his watch that this happened. He was consultant with Joseph Muscat, and he was a door away from Keith Schembri’s office. Robert Abela defended him till the end; this is dishonesty.”

Fenech Adami said that on 1 September 2018, Robert Abela penned a post on Facebook which aimed to continue pushing forward the narrative that Daphne Caruana Galizia’s children wanted to hinder the investigations.

“The same person who said that he let investigations take place under his watch was the same who propagated the idea that Caruana Galizia’s children were hindering the investigation,” Fenech Adami said.

The MP noted that justice on Saturday did not happen because the Government wanted it, but it happened even despite the hurdles set by the Government.

“You wanted the masterminds behind the death of Caruana Galizia, and behind the corruption that took place with passports, in Montenegro, and the Vitals case to stay free. You worked to put this country through suffering,” he said.

“This is a surreal scene, where one blames the other. Whoever saw what happened on Saturday would remember how much you made fun of the Nationalist Party and of Simon Busuttil. The truth that came out was what led to those criminals sleeping in jail. You created a false narrative. You invented stories to hide your sins”, he continued.

Fenech Adami said that the revelations had proven that there was corruption in the passport Individual Investor Programme (IIP). “You created this scheme, and once you created it, thousands were stolen by the criminals in your government. The inquiry did not happen because of Joseph Muscat, Robert Abela or the PL did, but because the PN requested it.”

“The second inquiry refers to corruption again, where companies abroad; with the help of Nexia BT and Pilatus Bank, these payments were made during Labour’s tenure.”

Fenech Adami referred to the time when Simon Busuttil took evidence to court against Keith Schembri.

“You said that the boxes that Simon Busuttil took to court were empty. Wake up, one of you, for your own decency and self-respect, and say that you were wrong.”

A malign image of Caruana Galizia was created, Fenech Adami said.

“Labour created the narrative so that people hate Caruana Galizia by calling her a witch. Then the Labour Party intentionally hindered the investigation, and cast a bad light on Caruana Galizia’s children.”

“Look at the terrible narratives that you propagated. Look at when you created the narrative that Daphne Caruana Galizia’s children left the car outside on purpose, or when you asked where her laptop was. Look at the findings of last Saturday; how dare you create this narrative?”