Malta should show greater courage in confronting organised crime by introducing specific anti-mafia legislation, Italian political scientist and co-president of the anti-mafia organisation Libera, Dr Francesca Rispoli said, challenging Prime Minister Robert Abela's argument that such laws could damage the country's reputation and discourage foreign investment.
Speaking to The Malta Independent on the ninth anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination, Rispoli described the reluctance of recognising the potential presence of mafia-type organisations as an outdated approach.
She said that nowadays, organised crime increasingly operates through financial interests and connections with legitimate institutions.
Rispoli, a researcher at the University of Pisa specialising in corruption, organised crime and civic participation, said that political leaders should recognise the different forms criminal organisations can take, rather than associating the mafia exclusively with violence, clans and territorial control.
She said similar attitudes were common in Italy, where local authorities sometimes welcomed events commemorating victims of organised crime and corruption, while insisting that mafia activity was a problem confined to other regions.
Describing this position as "anachronistic," Rispoli said that organised crime was a transnational phenomenon and that countries should equip themselves with the necessary legal tools to address it.
"I think it is better to have one tool more than one tool less," she said.
Asked about Abela's argument that specific mafia legislation could discourage foreign investment, Rispoli challenged the reasoning behind it.
"If I have big money and I want to invest in tourism in Malta, I want to open a hotel, but my money is clean, why should I be scared of an anti-mafia law?" she asked.
She said that acknowledging the risks associated with organised crime did not mean labelling an entire country or its population as mafia affiliated.
Rispoli also said that Malta's international reputation was already closely associated with Caruana Galizia's assassination, noting that the journalist's murder remained widely remembered in Italy.
Rather than avoiding difficult discussions to protect its image, Malta should confront this legacy through meaningful action and an opportunity for change.
The country could instead build a reputation for defending independent journalism, protecting whistleblowers and confronting corruption, she said.
"Own it. Manage this reputation and transform it into something positive," Rispoli said.
Rispoli said that modern organised crime does not necessarily resemble the traditional image of mafia bosses, violent clans and murders.
Criminal networks can also operate through business relationships, financial transactions and the grey area between legal and illegal activities.
She also raised the importance of legislation concerning confiscated criminal assets, arguing that countries should have the mechanisms necessary to seize property linked to organised crime and put it to other uses.
Turning to the protection of journalists, Rispoli criticised what she described as the limited approach taken by Malta and Italy towards implementing the EU's anti-SLAPP directive, also known as Daphne's Law.
Malta introduced its anti-SLAPP legislation on 31 July 2024, but the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) has warned that the law falls short of providing adequate protection because it covers cases with cross-border implications while excluding purely domestic cases.
Rispoli argued that the legislation should go beyond the minimum European requirements and offer meaningful protection to investigative journalists.
She said the directive's association with Caruana Galizia should serve as an opportunity to strengthen protections for journalists carrying out their work, rather than simply fulfilling a legal obligation.
Discussing the verdict delivered in Yorgen Fenech's trial, Rispoli said public reaction should not end with expressions of shock.
While judicial proceedings must be respected, Rispoli said that the pursuit of truth and accountability could not depend exclusively on the courts.
"Everyone is shocked, but what do you do with that shock? How can you transform that shock?" she asked.
She warned that public outrage could fade within weeks, leaving the responsibility for demanding answers primarily with Caruana Galizia's family, friends and civil society organisations.
Instead, she said, accountability should remain a concern for society as a whole, because corruption could affect ordinary citizens in different aspects of their lives.
Rispoli also warned against the normalisation of corruption, describing public acceptance of questionable practices as one of the greatest threats to democracy.
"If we just think that it's okay, that this is normal, we have already lost everything," she said.
Asked whether Malta's small size and overlapping political, business and personal relationships created particular vulnerabilities, Rispoli spoke of the importance of monitoring conflicts of interest.
She said relationships involving politicians, business interests and family connections required effective oversight, particularly where public responsibilities and private interests intersected.
On the role of civil society nine years later, Rispoli called for closer cooperation between independent journalists, academic researchers and organisations campaigning against corruption.
She cautioned against reducing Caruana Galizia to merely a symbol, adding that doing so risked distracting attention from the continuing relevance of her investigations.