Protestors gathered in Valletta on Sunday, marching down Republic Street calling on the government to stop fast-tracking the magisterial inquiry reform.

The highly controversial reform has seen many come out against it over recent days, as critics raise concerns that it will negatively impact people's ability to request the launch of such inquiries.

Protestors are calling for an open consultation process to reform the judicial system in a manner that strengthens the judiciary's fight against corruption and organised crime.

The protest began just after 4pm in front of Parliament. From there, the large crowd marched with banners, signs, and Maltese flags in hand while chanting towards the Law Courts. Amongst the several chants heard, the protestors shouted: "justice," "dialogue over dictatorship," "you can't be trusted," "don't touch the law," "mafia" and "Daphne was right." Once the crowd arrived in front of the Law Courts, speeches began.

Five speakers addressed the crowd, and they described the government's magisterial inquiry reform as one that will weaken the country's judicial institutions, and by virtue, promotes impunity. They labelled this government action as a threat to democracy and a move comparative to something a dictatorship would carry out.

The five speakers were Repubblika President Vicki Ann Cremona, law student Andrew Drago, Occupy Justice representative Louiselle Vassallo, lawyer and former PN MP Jason Azzopardi, and Repubblika executive official Manuel Delia.

Cremona's speech focused on the Prime Minister, Robert Abela. She asked Abela to stop "lying and treating the Maltese and Gozitans like idiots."

"Stop trying to manipulate Maltese and Gozitans by saying that you are publishing a law against abuse, when in reality you are removing citizens' rights to request a magisterial inquiry when they observe the theft of public funds, or perhaps other thefts like the sale of our hospitals," Cremona said.

The Repubblika President called for Abela to stop protecting those within government and previous administrations, saying they have abused their power for long enough. Cremona added that everyone attending the protest was present to tell him that they are not going to let him manipulate them by painting it as doing the people a favour.

"Keep your pseudo-favours to yourself," she said, "We are not going to accept them and we are going to fight in every way we can to stop you."

She reminded that aside from Repubblika and other NGOs, former judges, the Chamber of Advocates, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, trade unions, students, and political parties have all condemned the Bill containing the reform.

Cremona reminded everyone present that the citizens' right to open a magisterial inquiry as it currently stands is what led to everything that was uncovered in the fraudulent €400 million hospitals deal.

She stated that besides scandals from the Muscat administration, such as the Panama Papers, the Montenegro wind farm deal, etc., scandals have continued to be uncovered under Prime Minister Abela's five years of leadership, such as the social benefits fraud, private secretaries being given undeserving promotions, sanctioning of illegal construction, and others.

Cremona added that this reform, considering the lack of public consultation, is being carried out to "pave the way for government to stir up trouble as it pleases," and not to the benefit of Maltese citizens, in spite of everything the government claims.

She added that "this law is not being proposed to help us or to guarantee the rule of law."

This sentiment was expressed by the rest of the speakers as well.

Removing a tool to fight impunity

Law student Andrew Drago stated that on Daphne Caruana Galizia's 88-month anniversary since her assassination, protestors have banded together to protest against this reform - a reform which he said goes against the main recommendations brought about by the public inquiry opened into her death.

He said that instead of fighting impunity, the government is removing a tool that private citizens have to fight impunity.

Additionally, he remarked that "it makes no sense" for a person to request an investigation by providing evidence they already have in hand, as is being suggested through the bill.

"This is a government that legislates impunity," Drago said. "It truly goes against all the recommendations that came about through the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry."

He also said that the protestors are not extremists. In contrast, "extremists are people who legislate impunity and threaten the rule of law."

Drago said that if the bill is passed as is, then magisterial inquiries may only be opened if police decide, within a period of six months, that no one is prosecuted, and transfer this information to the Attorney General to end proceedings there. Citizens may go directly to a judge and file a request to the Criminal Court if police do not take sufficient action. However, Drago said that if the Attorney General shuts down the request after six months, the only chance a person has to open investigations into a case is to fight this decision in Civil Court - an action that would take much longer than the stipulated two years magisterial inquiries are now being forced to conclude by. 

Lawyer and former PN MP Jason Azzopardi highlighted that through the bill all magisterial inquiries that have been ongoing for over two years will be forced to close.

Citing three examples, he said that this includes the inquiries opened into the €8 million Montenegro wind farm deal, a drug bust organised by some "powerful Maltese" clique worth €15 million, and the homicide of a man by a hitman "sent to silence him."

All these cases occurred over two years ago and all of them are being threatened to be closed before investigations can conclude purposefully, he said.

The lawyer said that "there is nothing more beautiful than fighting for what is right" and that this includes calling out the government when it doesn't allow its citizens to live in a "normal country."

"We don't want to live in a country where the mafia web has taken control over a political party and government," he said.

Concluding his speech, the lawyer labelled this situation as a struggle whereby "only the corrupt forces in this country, of those who use their power to obtain thousands of euros" stand in the way.

He then told the thousands of people present to promise that they will not let anyone stop them from continuing fighting for what is right, within their conscience, no matter what.

On behalf of Occupy Justice, Louiselle Vassallo said that seven years ago, when Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed, she would have never imagined for the country to be in the dire state it is in today after so much time.

Similarly to other speakers, Vassallo expressed her support towards Jason Azzopardi and, particularly, Robert Aquilina. She criticised how instead of being given protection, Aquilina has been left in danger following several threats.

Vassallo also condemned the Prime Minister for his attacks against the judiciary and journalists alike. She also questioned where PM Abela's principles of transparency lie, following his failure to submit the Cabinet's declaration of assets to start 2025.

"It is obvious that Robert Abela has learned nothing from the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia," she said.

She concluded her intervention by expressing the need to continue supporting free journalism, because without it, the web of corruption will continue stretching to cast its shadow onto the whole country, she said.

Manuel Delia said that "when the government legislates laws to protect itself from the people, rather than to protect its citizens, then our democracy is threatened."

He called this reform "another nail in the coffin of what was once our democracy."

Condemning the government's proposal, Delia highlighted the importance of the citizens' right to go directly to a magistrate for assistance. He described how magistrates have no supervisors holding them back, and unlike the Police Force, the government cannot hold back magistrates with good conscience by corrupting their higher-ups.

He said that only the leadership of the Police Force is acting as the government's puppet, not the rest of its members.

"They are not just removing resources from magistrates - they are removing resources so that magistrates cannot investigate criminality," he said. "The government doesn't want justice to take place because it wants to hide criminality."

After commending the reactions of other political parties towards this reform, Delia pleaded to protestors not to let those in power simply take away citizens' rights.

Addressing the government's officials, he stated that "you will not take away our rights without consequence" and that "we do not have power, but we have reason."

Delia concluded by sharing his fears for the future of Malta's democracy. He fears that in the future, should these trends of diminishing democratic values continue, the government shall upgrade its threats and belittling of journalists to sending journalists to prison for exposing stories it wishes to remain hidden.

A banner which read 'You Kant be trusted, Prim' was taken onto the stage at one point during the speeches.

The protest was organised by Repubblika and Occupy Justice, and a host of other NGOs including the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, aditus, PEN Malta, the Law Students Association and Vici Kollettiva.