Repubblika President Robert Aquilina said Thursday that an official request had been submitted in court in order to prompt Prime Minster Robert Abela and Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri to request a proper investigation into the Iosif Galea arrest warrant case. 

Addressing the media outside the law courts building, Aquilina said that “the board conducting the internal investigation into why Iosif Galea was allowed to travel has extreme limitations when it comes to obtaining the proper documents as well as asking witnesses to take the stand.” 

This will result in a useless investigation which will not reveal the truth, Aquilina said. “Without being able to obtain any documents even through a Freedom of Information request, the board is greatly limited in what it can obtain and what it can investigate.” 

Gaming consultant Iosif Galea, who used to work for the Malta Gaming Authority, was recently arrested in Italy over a German European Arrest Warrant linked to a tax investigation. A separate European Arrest Warrant was issued by the Maltese Authorities and is suspected of conspiracy together with leaking MGA insider information. 

The German European Arrest Warrant came after a tax investigation required the then head of the gaming authority Iosif Galea to answer questions and after failing to be arrested in Malta, he was arrested between the 14 and 15 May after going on a vacation to Italy.

Aquilina then spoke about the shortcomings of the police when Galea “lived less than a two minute walk from the nearest police station and yet he was allowed to fly out of the country. This is also an international relations disaster as Malta did not respect the European warrant issued by Germany for his arrest.” 

Aquilina then shifted focus to ex-prime minister Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle Muscat. 

“Joseph Muscat left a legacy of impunity and it is still felt to this day. People like Iosif Galea feel like they can do whatever they want because of Muscat and the fact is that certain institutions still allow him to do so.” 

Aquilina then asked the rhetorical question on whether the Maltese people deserve better institutions who do not work only if given permission by the ‘higher ups.’ 

“The fact that Prime Minster Robert Abela and Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri did not give the order to start a proper investigation in accordance to the investigations act raises more questions. It shows that the government’s hands are not clean in this situation.” 

Aquilina stressed on having a police force which does not promote impunity when faced with friends of disgraced ex-Prime Ministers and he also called for the police commissioner to shoulder responsibility on the case. 

Aquilina said that “the internal investigation should not last more than two weeks and no matter what the findings of the investigation are, the results need to be published immediately.”