A magistrate has rejected Repubblika’s request to move a legal challenge it has filed against the Police Commissioner to a closer date.

The civil society NGO said Wednesday that Magistrate Nadine Lia has scheduled the first sitting in the legal challenge – in which it is calling on the police chief to prosecute more Pilatus Bank officials – to 27 October.

This delay, the NGO said, will give the people involved “more time to destroy evidence.”

Repubblika had filed the legal challenge last month, claiming that the police commissioner had failed to investigate any other bank officials despite the recommendations of the infamous inquiry. The inquiry, it says, had recommended criminal action against the former owner and directors of Pilatus Bank in connection with criminal conspiracy and financial crimes, and to prosecute former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri over trading in influence. 

Repubblika also said that the first sitting should be about the magistrate’s recusal. Nadine Lia, it said, has a “lampant” conflict of interest stemming from the fact that her husband’s father is the Labour Party’s lawyer and was also lawyer to Keith Schembri. Pawlu Lia was also the lawyer who had requested the Pilatus Bank inquiry, it said.

This means that the case will be further delayed, it continued.

Through its lawyer Jason Azzopardi, Repubblika asked the Magistrate to bring the date of the first sitting forward, but that request was rejected.

Repubblika said that the law that regulates what happens when citizens ask the courts to order the police to take action includes short timeframes to avoid dragging of feet.

It is now the court that is dragging its feet, Repubblika said.