NGO Repubblika said Tuesday that the political and criminal responsibility of the benefits fraud that was revealed last Sunday must be shouldered.

In a press conference outside the Prime Minister’s office in Castille, Repubblika president Robert Aquilina said the “big fish” must also pay the consequences of their behaviour.

The Sunday Times reported that former Labour MP Silvio Grixti was implicated in a scandal that allegedly enabled hundreds of people to receive disability benefits which they were not entitled to.

Medical documents were provided for people to apply for benefits averaging €450 intended for severe disabilities they do not suffer from.

Aquilina said the police and the government have remained silent on the matter. Why didn't the Prime Minister and the commissioner of police hold a press conference to explain, he asked.

"We are disgusted," said Aquilina. This is a major scandal consisting of mass fraud, stealing, and abuse through social services, he said. "Potentially up to 800 people were involved."

He said that this “scheme” involved money, which is intended for people in need who are suffering from serious conditions, which he said was instead being “stolen” and “included the creation and usage of fraudulent certificates.”. He said that these certificates showed signatures of medical professionals who had either never seen the "patients" indicated on the certificates or knew that the individuals were not suffering from the indicated conditions but signed regardless. 

Aquilina said that he was using the word scheme on purpose, as this was not an isolated incident of abuse, but rather it was a “sophisticated planned and thought-out system” involving a large number of people. "Not just people who illegally received these benefits, but also many people who were involved in the functioning of this system." Aquilina said that these people were entrusted by the law to prevent these abuses from happening, but instead they complied with and facilitated the abuses. "We are talking about corruption and stealing which occurred within government departments and agencies."

The people who stole this money would not have been able to do so on their own, he said. "They did not go into government buildings and physically steal this money." He said that for this scheme to function as it did, there had to have been involvement from individuals within the government. He added that each of the involved government officials benefited from this scheme, and that there is no doubt some officials were involved. He said that there have been several individuals who admitted to their involvement in the scheme and confirmed that they received benefits illegally. These individuals also revealed who told them what they needed to do to have their documents fabricated and accepted, he said.

"The people who admitted to these abuses said that they were assisted by ministers and their employees. Some individuals also said that they were assisted by members of Prime Minister Robert Abela's customer care department."

Repubblika's President said that with all of this in mind, he had some important questions to ask.

He began by asking who will be taking up the political responsibility for this situation. "Someone has to be politically responsible." He said that this scheme happened under someone's nose, and asked if Social Security Minister Michael Falzon is responsible. Aquilina said that there are two possible scenarios, being that Minister Falzon either knew of the scheme or that he was completely unaware and therefore unfit to hold his position.

Aquilina asked if the ministers or their staff who had instructed the benefactors to contact the people who aided them are politically responsible. He also asked if the Prime Minister is politically responsible, and added that it cannot be allowed for those who are politically responsible to hide behind the judicial procedure. "Legal responsibility is absolutely not enough," he said, "there needs to be political responsibility as well. That is what happens in true democracies."

"How did the country's authorities react when presented with the scandal?" He said that the reaction was total silence from the government and the police. He explained that the police had taken a small number of those who received benefits to court, but that those in Government who created and organised the scheme were not taken to court.

"For example, ex MP Silvio Grixti, who had to resign from Parliament, was not taken to court." Aquilina questioned why the Police Commissioner and the Prime Minister did not hold a press conference to address the scandal. He also questioned why the Police Commissioner did not request a magisterial inquiry into the scandal when such inquiries are regularly requested for smaller cases. He explained that the magisterial inquiry would have the necessary functions to preserve evidence such as what would be on the phones and laptops of Ministers, employees of Ministers, and members of the Prime Minister's customer care.

"So we have to ask," he said, "who is Angelo Gafa protecting? As what always happens under Gafa and Robert Abela, and what used to happen under Lawrence Cutajar and Joseph Muscat, the people in the Government who facilitated and conducted this scheme were not taken to court."

Aquilina concluded by presenting a number of questions to the Prime Minister.

He asked if Robert Abela was personally involved with this scheme, and if the Prime Minister's customer care under himself and Joseph Muscat was also involved in it. Aquilina asked if anyone associated with Abela, or the people working under individuals associated with Abela, were involved too. Repubblika's President also asked when Abela became aware of the scheme, and if he had immediately reported it to the Police. 

He concluded by asking the Prime Minister to explain who is politically responsible for the scandal, and emphasised the importance of these questions being answered.