The man who confessed to Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder after a plea bargain deal declared in open court a few days ago that a sitting minister was involved in a “big job” a few years back. He did not identify the person connected to this crime and, for some reason, the lawyer questioning him did not insist on having the name.
The independent media had already reported on the matter, but hearing Vincent Muscat, il-Koħħu, declare it viva voce under oath was most disturbing.
A country where the rule of law truly prevails and the institutions work as they should would have lost no time in getting to the bottom of such a serious accusation. A prime minister who lets no opportunity slip by to speak about his record on rule of law and good governance would have sprung into action to ensure he presides over a ‘clean’ cabinet.
The minister in question is a member of a set-up, the cabinet, that is not only privy to very sensitive information but is also involved in decisions affecting the security of the state. Still, seemingly unperturbed, Prime Minister Robert Abela has adopted a wait-and-see attitude. He will not, he declared, be doing anything more about the information unless Muscat names the minister in question.
The only action Abela is known to have taken after the testimony was to ask the police commissioner to find out who the witness was referring to. The answer he got was that Muscat had refused to mention any names. And it seems that the story ends there.
We hope the police are looking into the claim with the same vigour as they do when they investigate any serious crime.
They should be speaking to all potential suspects, checking their alibis, connections, their mobile phones, and so on. Indeed, this should have taken place the minute Muscat made the allegation to the police a few months ago.
A genuinely worried prime minister would have immediately summoned all cabinet members individually and asked each one of them point blank whether they believed they were the one indicated by Muscat. He should then have demanded a sworn declaration from each and every one of them before publishing them all.
This is how Abela can set the public’s mind at rest that the cabinet does not harbour a criminal. And that if it does, he will not tolerate that situation. This is about determining political responsibility. He cannot argue – as he is in the habit of doing to justify inaction – that he does not want to interfere with police investigations, magisterial inquiries or court proceedings.
It ought to be borne in mind that Muscat also linked three other people, including two that occupied top positions in politics, to Caruana Galizia’s murder. They are former minister Chris Cardona, the former chief of staff at the OPM, Keith Schembri, and lawyer and former police inspector David Gatt. They all dismissed such claims as “rubbish”.
The truth is yet to be determined. It is evidence in court that matters, not suspicions, allegations or intelligence. But it is the duty of the police to ensure that suspicions, allegations and intelligence are thoroughly investigated, and then to prosecute if evidence to sustain them emerges.
Admittedly, that may take some time – that is how the criminal justice system works.
Not so political accountability. The people, as well as other cabinet members, must be assured there is no individual with a potential criminal record.
The alleged connection must be exposed or debunked as soon as possible if the prime minister wants to dispel the shadow that hangs over his whole cabinet of ministers.