Prime Minister Robert Abela's remarks following the news that Belgian police are investigating Labour MEP Daniel Attard are "out of place and grossly prejudice the normal course of law enforcement," Repubblika said in a statement on Tuesday.
Repubblika said that the Prime Minister described the subject of the police investigation as "a small matter" which should not bother anyone, and added that he remarked there is no allegation of corruption.
Attard has been named in an investigation conducted by Belgian police over a meeting which took place between the MEP and a Huawei lobbyist during a football match. Prime Minister Abela described the situation as "ultra de minimis", or a "very minor issue". Abela said that he has complete trust Attard's integrity.
The NGO stated that Belgian police are questioning Attard in the context of an investigation into gifts and incentives paid by private lobbies in order to influence MEPs, and continued that contrary to what the Prime Minister says, the payment by private lobbies of gifts and incentives to people in public life is an act of corruption and is very serious. Repubblika continued that the Belgian police are handling the matter with utmost seriousness.
Repubblika said that Attard, as the subject of an investigation, has given an explanation which is "not at all satisfactory". It said that Attard first blamed his assistant because the MEP had found himself in a VIP box with a Huawei lobbyist at a football stadium, and continued that the MEP then admitted that he had a subsequent meeting with the same lobbyist in the Parliament building.
With that in mind, Repubblika stated that such a meeting in itself is not proof of a crime, "but at least shows that Daniel Attard does not know how to avoid compromising circumstances".
The NGO concluded that it is ultimately up to the Belgian police to determine whether Attard has a case to answer, and added that "it is certainly not up to the Prime Minister of Malta to acquit his colleague Attard before the police have been able to do their job".
"Robert Abela in Malta has made a habit of deciding who among his party colleagues is guilty and who is innocent without letting the responsible institutions work. Now he is extending this habit to the work of the police of other countries as well," Repubblika remarked.