Activists of the Occupy Justice group on Monday evening unfurled a banner outside the Auberge de Castille describing corruption as a virus whose spread needed to be stopped.
The activity was held as the group on Tuesday marks 32 months since journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated on October 16, 2017.
Malta had lived through the COVID-19 pandemic and was gearing up to get back to normality. But would this be the same normality that was promoted by the disgraced Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, together with his cronies since 2013, the group asked.
Would it be the same corrupt, mafia-inspired “normality” that led to the assassination of a journalist?
"Is this the same “normality” that allowed for implicated public figures to be protected by the system, by the police, and by the judicial institutions?"
The group said it was appalled at the fact that, while Malta was effective in
fighting an unknown virus like COVID-19, the country has failed miserably at
tackling rampant corruption that has infected the institutions.
"The real virus that has taken over our country is corruption. Covid-19 may be
under control, but corruption is alive kicking and spreading by the day, and
Prime Minister Robert Abela seems to have neither the inclination nor the will
to stop this spread," it complained.
It asked how people repeatedly mentioned in court testimony, such as former chief of staff Keith Schembri had not been arrested.
"Perhaps because the virus has also spread thick and fast within the highest ranks of our police force. It is now more than evident that protestors were right in calling for the removal of the likes of Silvio Valletta and Lawrence Cutajar, ex-deputy police commissioner and the ex-top man himself, both also mentioned repeatedly in court proceedings," it said.
Konrad Mizzi had also not been questioned regarding all his 'dirty and
corrupt deals, the most prominent being the power station contract and the
selling of three state hospitals.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Robert Abela for not taking any action, the group said that it was time to reassert its commitment towards safeguarding democracy.
"Our normality will resume, as will our protests" until justice is served, Occupy Justice said.