Updated 1.25pm

The PN slammed Robert Abela on Monday for "wanting immunity for corrupt politicians and their accomplices".

The Opposition was reacting to news that the government would be protecting civil service and government entity workers from being taken to court in their personal capacity.

Abela on Sunday said he would not tolerate abuse of the legal system that was leading to "innocent people facing the calvary of court proceedings" for years before they are found to be innocent. It is not clear if the legislative change will be backdated to cover those currently facing court proceedings. 

Several permanent secretaries are facing charges over their role in the Vitals Hospitals deal. 

Among them are former health minister Konrad Mizzi's permanent secretary Ronald Mizzi and Alfred Camilleri, who was the finance ministry permanent secretary when the deal was negotiated. 

More recently, former PN MP Jason Azzopardi asked a magistrate to investigate the Gozo ministry's permanent secretary John Borg over how the building of a road in Nadur went over budget by €10 million.

On Monday, the PN said Abela planned on changing laws that have been in place for decades and have consistently been interpreted and applied by the courts with a strong sense of justice.

"Abela is making it clear he is choosing to side with criminals rather than honest Maltese and Gozitan citizens who are fed up with being robbed by the tax of corruption they are being forced to pay," justice spokesperson Karol Aquilia said, adding that the prime minister's speech and plan were "irresponsible and dangerous".

The party will fight Abela's intentions in parliament, the courts and the streets, he added.

"Anyone who is honest and has not committed any abuses in their position of power has no reason to fear justice or the work carried out with great dedication and professionalism by the judges and magistrates of our country.

"It is only those who have abused their position and committed serious crimes such as corruption, fraud, theft, abuse of power, and money laundering who have reason to fear justice and the unwavering commitment of our judges and magistrates to uncover the truth."

The party also urged those in public service to fulfil their duties in the exclusive interest of our country: "When a public official is asked to turn a blind eye or participate in illegal activities, they must refuse to comply and responsibly expose whoever is asking them to engage in abuse, regardless of who they may be".

'Robert Abela is a threat to democracy': Arnold Cassola

In a separate statement, independent candidate Arnold Cassola said Abela was proposing extending impunity from corrupt politicians to servile civil servants who, in their personal capacity, were cheating the country.

He said former premier Joseph Muscat had allowed people like Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi "free rein in plundering taxpayers' money and the common good".

He added that over the past five years, Robert Abela -  "in cahoots with "supposed-servants of the state like Angelo Gafa' and Victoria Buttigieg - had done his utmost to ensure the impunity of such politicians".

The prime minister was now going a step further in trying to hinder citizens' rights to hold elected officials and civil servants accountable for their actions.

"This is unacceptable. We must resist this serious threat to democracy," he said, adding that representatives of the recently set up Momentum will be at the Repubblika's vigil planned for Thursday at 6.30pm in front of the Valletta law courts.

'Horrific attempt by Abela': Repubblika

Repubblika meanwhile called Abela's attempt at "breaking what was left of the rule-of-law" as "horrific".

Malta has a centuries-long tradition that ensures public officials face the consequences when they commit a crime they are obliged to prevent others from committing, the NGO said.

"This makes total sense. After all,  we have a right to expect that public officials act consciously and with the public interest in mind. The public has a right to expect public officials to be exemplary in their behaviour and ensure that when others steal, instead of remaining silent, they speak up and act."

However, Abela wanted to exempt public officials from all consequences when they commit a criminal act while private company officials face prosecution for crimes committed at work, the NGO said.

Repubblika also called out Abela for claims that public officials faced years of persecution before being cleared of allegations.

There have been no such cases over the past decade, the NGO said, referring to the "only case" with similar repercussions as that of Anthony Debono, husband of former Gozo minister Giovanna Debono.

Debono was in 2021 cleared of all charges in connection with what had been described as a “works-for-votes scandal” after a court found that the whistleblower who made the allegations was not credible. 

'A leader who turns a blind eye to illegalities of the elites':  Il-Kollettiv 

NGO Il-Kollettiv added its voice to concern about Abela's proposal, condemning the "attempt to grant immunity to the political class".

It warned it was dangerous for a prime minister to use the law to protect the political elite while robbing citizens of their right to justice.

"In recent scandal-ridden years, the government has worked hard to withhold information about the way public funds are being spent and is now looking to restrict the public’s only recourse to justice." 

The NGO said Abela was ignoring the public sentiment, whereby many felt that Malta needed more and better law enforcement, not less.

"A leader who turns a blind eye to illegalities of the elites – in an inconsistent manner from one case to the other – cannot expect the population to abide by the laws.

"We are also worried by the support to this proposal shown by the Malta Developers Association, which, while avoiding the mention of two of its board members, announced its interest against the opening of these magisterial inquiries."

Il-Kollettiv said MDA represented private interests that could be subjects in these inquiries, and it was not the lobby’s remit to pressure the government into changing the civil and criminal legislation or to block the road to the justice of thousands of residents.