The Malta Independent 10 February 2025, Monday
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'The Labour Party has become a refuge for criminal politicians' – Simon Busuttil

Isaac Saliba Thursday, 16 January 2025, 20:51 Last update: about 24 days ago

The Labour Party has actively tried to obstruct justice in relation to a number of government scandals because it is scared of justice and the truth, former Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil said when he spoke during a vigil for Daphne Caruana Galizia outside the court building in Valletta on Thursday evening.

"The Labour Party has become a refuge for criminal politicians," he said, "It is scared that its politicians will end up in the machine of justice."

Busuttil said that he has no doubt that the PL will never admit that it has made terrible mistakes, as he added that the PL has yet to admit that it made a mistake with what the people have experienced throughout the last twelve years.

With that in mind, the former Leader of the Opposition said that until the PL "comes to its senses", it is the people who will continue to pay the price as the citizens of the country. "We deserve our rights and our dignity," he added.

Busuttil stated that nothing would have been done regarding scandals such as Electrogas and 17 Black, nor the hospitals deal or other such scandals, had it not been for "citizens like you and I" who go to the courts and request that magistrates open investigations.

That right to request inquiries and investigations, he said, is a right provided to the people by law, "and the Prime Minister wants to remove this right... Do not let him."

"I appeal to all citizens of goodwill and civil associations such as Repubblika, as well as all political parties, including the Labour Party, to not allow this right to be taken from us. Do not let our rights be taken, which after all are used when justice does not work."

The former PN Leader said that Prime Minister Robert Abela attacked and accused the magistrate who conducted an inquiry into the hospitals deal with "political terrorism". He said that the Prime Minister has also accused Repubblika, Jason Azzopardi, and others in the same way.

"If there was one act of terrorism which occured in our country within the last twelve years, it was the brutal and vile assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia," Busuttil commented.

"Daphne revealed them. She was right. Thank you Daphne. You paid with your life, and we can never bring you back, but what we can do is honour you by fighting for justice until justice takes place in our country."

Busuttil said that the moment justice is enacted will be the moment that Daphne Caruana Galizia is given the vindication that she deserves.

Busuttil said that following Daphne Caruana Galizia's initial reports regarding Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri's companies and trusts in Panama and New Zealand, he had expected Joseph Muscat to dismiss the two and then resign as Prime Minister due to his close proximity to them. Busuttil said that he also anticipated that the police would launch an investigation into the matter, adding that he did not believe such expectations were unreasonable.

Muscat instead chose to defend Mizzi and Schembri and "open an attack on anyone who expected them to shoulder political responsibility", he said, describing it as a decision which "changed the course of our political history".

"In that moment, I understood that Joseph Muscat was complicit with them," Busuttil said.

He spoke of how Daphne Caruana Galizia initially mentioned the company '17 Black.

Busuttil said that there were many protests ongoing in the country in relation to these scandals. He detailed the process that he underwent to request an inquiry into the Panama Papers, and how the process took a long time. He said that Mizzi and Schembri appealed the investigation, and questioned if anyone who does not have anything to hide would have a needed to block an investigation.

He spoke of how a leaked FIAU report prompted him to go to the courts again and request an investigation but was still met with obstacles.

Having detailed the lengthy process to request an inquiry, Busuttil said that the magistrate in the case was changed, but that he ultimately chose not to open an inquiry regardless, justifying the decision by saying that the Panama Papers matter was "just speculation".

He said that instead of giving up, they opened a new request with all the information so that an inquiry would be opened. He said that they were attacked and ridiculed, but ultimately it is now expected that charges will be made against Mizzi, Schembri, Fenech, and others.


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