The Malta Independent 6 December 2024, Friday
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Activists accuse government of ‘reputational laundering’

Saturday, 2 March 2024, 18:43 Last update: about 10 months ago

Earlier this afternoon, #occupyjustice activists staged a protest on the steps of Auberge de Castille, sending a message to Prime Minister Robert Abela that reputational laundering and the resultant perpetuation of impunity for corruption, abuse and murder are simply not on.

In recent weeks there has been talk of the return to national and European politics and/or public office of Joseph Muscat, Chris Cardona and Rosianne Cutajar, amongst others, aided and abetted by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party Robert Abela himself, the group said in a statement.

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#occupyjustice reminds the Prime Minister that rampant corruption, abuse of power and the assassination of an investigative journalist all took place under the watch and premiership of Joseph Muscat, the master reputational launderer, and OCCRP 2019 Man of the Year in Organised Crime and Corruption.

#occupyjustice also reminds Robert Abela that former Labour Party deputy leader, Chris Cardona, elected to this post following revelations of Konrad Mizzi’s involvement in the Panama Papers scandal, left politics under a cloud of serious allegations of implications in the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, among other alleged criminal activities, as well as the role he played in the fraudulent privatisation of Malta’s hospitals, as signatory to the MoU with Vitals. Cardona also left public life without having the backbone to exonerate himself from the Acapulco scandal, when he failed to turn up to hearings of the court case he himself instituted, only to chicken out before it was concluded.

It is beyond unacceptable that former PL MP Rosianne Cutajar is reinstated. #occupyjustice reminds Robert Abela that, apart from fraudulently acting as ITS consultant, Cutajar accepted a commission and other material gifts from Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a former director of ElectroGas, known for its corrupt deals and for syphoning public funds to Panama Papers company 17 Black, which company had links to former PM Joseph Muscat’s chief of staff Keith Schembri and former energy minister Konrad Mizzi. Cutajar chose to not disclose her relationship with Fenech, while simultaneously defending his interests in Parliament and at the Council of Europe.

We demand that Robert Abela, instead of disrespecting the electorate and enabling evidently corrupt individuals, puts a stop to this shameless reputational laundering, impunity for corruption and abuse of power, and that full justice is sought for such crimes, so that Malta's once-good reputation may start the journey towards restoration after years of filth, the group said.

 

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