Having the Labour Party object to the police commissioner testify in front of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee is yet another clear indication that justice in Malta is a fantasy which we do not take seriously.
When a new police commissioner was finally chosen, a ray of hope shone briefly for us lesser mortals. After all, the notorious Ian Abdilla was relieved from his post as head of the Economic Crimes Unit. Many, myself included, dared to hope that Angelo Gafà was going to be a catalyst of change which the country desperately needs, granting us an impartial and non-partisan police force. However, that spark of hope was quickly dimmed, if not extinguished.
Gafà was supposed to be the person to salvage the reputation of the police after the hapless and spineless Lawrence Cutajar drove them into dishonour.
I met the new police commissioner at an event and my impression of him as an impeccably kitted-out commissioner was replaced by the idea that he is, in fact, afraid.
His fear of tackling the genuine filth at the heart of our democracy could not be hidden by any carefully rehearsed answers or a slick suit. After all, that sort of fear is a definitive trait of many people in this country today, afraid of speaking truth to power.
Nonetheless, the police commissioner still has an opening to plug this sinking ship and to do something about all of the rats on board. Does he have an answer to the following questions? To start with, one might ask him why Joseph Muscat was aware of the pseudo-raid conducted by the police at his house as part of the corruption probe into the Vitals Global Healthcare hospitals deal?
It was so carefully choreographed that rumours it would be happening had been circulating for days and this sham surreally ended up looking more like a driver picking up a parcel of carefully prepared documents. It was hardly an investigation on a matter of utmost gravity that might challenge the foundations of our republic were the truth to come to light.
What about Konrad Mizzi, police commissioner? Has his new-found faith shielded him from further scrutiny, even in the face of the damning evidence unearthed thus far? While we are on the subject, one cannot help but question how his shenanigans in front of the Public Accounts Committee were not only tolerated but were abetted by government MPs. Who is protecting him and whose interests is he serving by remaining free?
Similarly and, to a far more baffling degree, it is as if Keith Schembri had never been in the news at all. If there was somebody who had been caught with his ‘hand in the cookie jar’, surely it would be Schembri, the man whose business deals and complicity with Yorgen Fenech precipitated a historic political crisis.
The criminals have nearly completed their getaway. Can our democracy afford to let them get away with it?- Sandra Gauci
If there was ever proof of a broken justice system, then might this not be it? What happened to all the people who allegedly abetted the criminality around Castille, such as the bodyguard, “Kenneth from OPM”, or Schembri’s doctor, Adrian Vella, who was ready to act as a secret messenger with Fenech?
Were you afraid to act against Anton Refalo when he was found to have a historic milestone at his private residence? Why have months passed as if nothing has happened? Or has this milestone merely turned into a millstone around your neck, like so many other scandals?
Why are the investigations into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder so painstakingly slow, to the extent that even the international community is seriously questioning our resolve to attain justice and uncover the masterminds behind this heinous act? Let us not forget the assistance which the US Embassy offered, which was ignored, and the chilling implications thereof.
Will her case end up unresolved, like those of Karin Grech and Raymond Caruana? Will Caruana Galizia serve as a warning against all those who dare to question the mafia in this country?
Without justice, the implication is that they can get away with murder.
Let us not forget the most recent case involving the arrest of Iosif Galea, which has turned out to be an utter humiliation for the force you lead.
Tell us whether you were receiving orders from above regarding this debacle and, while you are at it, also offer a mention of the Ryan Schembri case.
Angelo, we do not just want you to talk. We want you to act and to act fast! If need be, keep a low profile but, for heaven’s sake, do what is needed. Leave the soft soap to your superiors who are masters of spin and superficiality.
If you are to go down in history as a commissioner of police worthy of his name, you need to take a stand and take action against the big fish in this small pond. Punch up and not down.
The people might be prepared to give you one last chance to concretely show that you are not an accomplice in propagating the impunity that has pervaded this country. But that, I am afraid, will be it.
The criminals have nearly completed their getaway. Can our democracy afford to let them get away with it?
Sandra Gauci is deputy chairperson, ADPD.