Prime Minister Robert Abela wants to be judged by a Committee chaired by the Speaker and made up mostly of Government Ministers, rather than by an independent judge, the Nationalist Party said Thursday.
It was reacting to a ruling by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anglu Farrugia, by which MP Karol Aquilina will be taken before parliament's privileges committee after refusing to retract what he told Abela in a previous sitting.
The PN noted that Robert Abela has never filed a libel case against PN Leader Bernard Grech, Shadow Minister Karol Aquilina or others who have long accused him and his government of having ties with criminals. However, as soon as the PN Leader and the Shadow Minister for Justice repeated this accusation in Parliament, Robert Abela filed a breach of privilege case before Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.
As expected by the PN, the Speaker ruled that there is a 'prima facie' case of breach of privilege, meaning the case will now be heard before the Standing Committee on Privileges, where Government Ministers hold a majority. For the PN, it is clear that Robert Abela is seeking refuge with the Speaker and this biased committee because he is terrified of the judgement that an independent court might deliver.
Despite being aware of how this biased Committee is likely to decide, the PN views this as a unique opportunity to present witnesses and evidence that clearly show that our country is being led by a Prime Minister and a Government with close ties to criminals.
For the PN, this will be an occasion to prove to the Maltese and Gozitan people, with concrete evidence, that we have a Government that is acting and passing laws in the interests of its criminal friends rather than in the interests of honest citizens and Maltese and Gozitan families.
Therefore, the PN urges Speaker Anġlu Farrugia to immediately convene the Standing Committee on Privileges so that the Maltese and Gozitan people can begin to see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, and judge with their own minds.
Aquilina has said that among the first witnesses he would like to call are Adrian Agius and Robert Agius, known as the Tal-Maksar brothers, and Christian Borg.