On Wednesday, the first court judgement jailing a person who was convicted for fraudulently having received disability benefits was published.

The man had admitted to the charges, and had taken in €18,000 in illicit benefits over a period of four and a half years. He had since signed an agreement with the Social Security Department to repay the money he had taken, and had thus far returned around €2,000, the court heard.

Whilst acknowledging that the man needed help to address issues arising from a failed relationship, the court said that it could not simply sentence him to community service, in view of the fact that he had continued to commit fraud whilst on probation. He was therefore sentenced to two years in jail.

Prior to this judgement, people convicted in relation to the benefits fraud scandal were not being sentenced to jail, but being made to pay back the sums they had fraudulently received and were, for instance, given suspended sentences rather than an effective jail term.

Those who took the benefits fraudulently must absolutely face justice and be taken to court, as is happening. But the lack of arraignments of people behind the scheme is completely unacceptable. So far, there has been no news that any big fish have been arraigned, or that there are any intentions to do so.

Now this is not to say the police have done nothing.

For instance, former PL MP Silvio Grixti was reportedly called for interrogation regarding his alleged role in the disability benefits scandal last November, and it was not the first time either. Grixti had been implicated in the racket for allegedly providing false documents enabling people to receive benefits they were not entitled to. He resigned from Parliament two years ago.

But it does not seem like anybody has yet been arraigned for being behind the scandal. The police must take concrete action by arraigning before the court those who are behind the racket, whoever the evidence indicates they were.

Now one could argue the police are still investigating, and that is a good thing. But so much time has passed since the scandal became public, and it is high time that the police take the necessary action against the bigger fish. It is unacceptable that while it is correct for the police to take action against those who illicitly benefited from the scheme, those who were part of it are, so far, off the hook.

Those who took the benefits fraudulently must absolutely face justice and be taken to court, as is happening, but those behind the scheme must also face justice.

If this does not happen within a reasonable time period, it gives the impression that people can get away with wrongdoing.

The culture of impunity in Malta must come to an end. This was a theft of public funds. More so, it was a theft from a benefit meant for one of the most vulnerable groups in society!