In March 2017, in her Running Commentary, Daphne Caruana Galizia hosted a guest blog, explaining that Electrogas would be the “defacto main supplier of power generation in Malta, at rates higher than any available alternative”.

Given that the deal with Electrogas was going to cost the Maltese electricity payers €1 million per week for power generation, the post pushed the point further: “In brute terms, Konrad Mizzi, Louis Grech, Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat have given the businesses owned by Tumas and Gasan an operation with a guaranteed return running into the hundreds of millions of euros, when they have not invested anything at all.”

Mizzi and Schembri had obliged the Maltese payer to buy their electricity from Electrogas as soon as they came to power. Meanwhile, together with the unidentified owner of the company Egrant, they opened secret accounts in Panama to receive money from the Dubai-based company 17 Black, which was later identified as belonging to Yorgen Fenech.

Paul Apap Bologna and Mario Pullicino also opened secret accounts abroad. In other words, the whole deal stank of blatant corruption, where a handful of men would take advantage of the hard-earned money belonging to you and me by obliging us to pay more than necessary for something we cannot do without – electricity. They wanted to enrich themselves further at our expense.

Almost nine years later, the 17 Black inquiry has been concluded and these men will finally face criminal charges in the Electrogas case.

Needless to say, they are innocent until proven otherwise and they deny any wrongdoing. However, when charges are filed, the Maltese state will finally acknowledge what has been evident since 2016.

This is only happening because Simon Busuttil, David Casa and Repubblika filed parallel requests for a magisterial inquiry covering various aspects of this scandal (the Panama Papers, 17 Black, the Electrogas contract), all of which were then merged into one investigation.

It is the right of every citizen to request a magisterial inquiry, a right which Robert Abela wants to remove.

This right allows you and me to ask a magistrate to investigate whether an offence has been committed based on a report or a complaint we file.

When Busuttil was carrying what was stupidly termed “pizza boxes” to court, he took evidence to substantiate his report on corruption, evidenced by the Panama revelations, providing material for the magistrate to delve more deeply into the issue.

The importance of this right does not have to be explained; thanks to it, people have finally been brought to justice through no initiative from either the government or the police, proving its worth and importance.

The ordinary Maltese citizen is fed up with being cheated out of their money and rights- Vicki Ann Cremona

Corruption has victims. If bribes are being paid, someone has to pay for them, and that’s usually you.

Electricity bills are higher than they could be, so the pockets of some greedy rotter can be lined.

It’s not easy for ordinary people to get what they deserve. We decided to try anyway.

We again went to the courts on June 25, 2021 to ask for reimbursements for people who had paid unfairly high tariffs on their electricity bills and, consequently, for the contract with Electrogas to be dissolved. The case is still in front of the courts.

The dissolution of the contract with Electrogas, mired in suspicious circumstances and initiatives, is a step that any honest government, with the people’s interest at heart, should take.

Perhaps, as happened with the hospitals, the government is waiting for the courts to force them to do the right thing.

The ordinary Maltese citizen, fully conscious of what is happening, is fed up with being cheated out of their money and rights. They need to see honest MPs, especially those representing the Labour Party, to support initiatives that call for the respect of the law and the defence of law-abiding citizens.

They need civil society organisations to create a united front to ensure that our laws and our constitution can protect the Maltese citizens and those who live on our shores.

Every well-meaning individual who is nauseated by the prevailing dishonesty and wants to see Malta stand proudly as an example of uprightness must demand truth, fairness and justice openly. Repubblika is determined to continue to strive to make these ideals a reality.

Join us in front of the court building on Thursday at 6.30pm to reject corruption and support citizens’ resistance.

Vicki Ann Cremona is president of Repubblika.