The dirt coming out of the Electrogas affair and the muck involving its former CEO Yorgen Fenech are simply too much to stomach.

The testimony given by Paul Apap Bologna in front of the Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination inquiry verged on the farcical.

Who would imagine that a supposedly seasoned entrepreneur never questioned the reason why he and his company were being showered with millions even before Electrogas started operating?

The pathetic sworn statements by the Gasans at the inquiry certainly did not help to clear up any of the many doubtful assertions uttered by their double-barrel -surnamed partner.

The latest filth revealed by Times of Malta about the various crooks hovering around Electrogas, Enemalta and 17 Black has opened up another can of worms which, I hope, Angelo Gafà will tackle in a serious and expeditious way, as opposed to the lethargic manner in which his predecessor had acted. 

The Times of Malta uncovered how the usual gang of seven minus Keith Schembri (Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi, Fenech, Brian Tonna, Karl Cini and Frederick Azzopardi) formed another associazione a delinquere with the already known Chinese rascal Chen Ching and the hitherto unknown Kevin Chircop, with the intention of duping the Maltese population and depriving us of our hard- earned income, so that Fenech and his associates could further oil politicians’ pockets.

I have no doubt that this latest revelation will be of great interest to the Daphne board of inquiry and that, therefore, even more time will be required to delve deeply into the folds of this never-ending saga.

The judges should simply ignore Abela and go full speed ahead- Arnold Cassola

One must remember that, according to the evidence heard so far, Daphne was assassinated because of the Electrogas project.

Ensuring that the whole truth comes out is a must not only so that we Maltese taxpayers recover the many millions that have been stolen from us by the swindlers but also, and above all, to make sure that all Daphne’s killers are brought to justice.

And, yet, Robert Abela has been trying his best to close down the board of inquiry as quickly as possible.

Arrogantly, he decreed December 15 as the end date for the inquiry, whose findings he is continuously putting in doubt. He has even enlisted Muscat’s blind follower, Glenn Bedingfield, in his attempt to discredit the three judges involved.

The prime minister is in panic mode.

But Abela cannot, and must not, have any say in the running of the inquiry. His vested interests in the Electrogas/Daphne assassination affair are many.

This inquiry is investigating the responsibilities of the state in failing to protect Daphne as it should have and also if, by its lack of action, the state actually created fertile ground for the assassins to behave unhindered in their killer mission.

And who is the one trying to curtail the board of inquiry’s investigation by imposing the December 15 deadline? None other than the prime minister of the state that is being investigated.

Abela is so full of himself that he does not realise that the state he represents is the one being investigated and, therefore, he simply cannot interfere.

The second reason why Abela has to keep his mouth shut and sealed is the fact that one of the indicted persons in this inquiry is basically his former ‘employer’, the protector of suspected criminals, Muscat.

Abela and his firm were paid over €500,000 by two government entities between March 2013 and June 2017.

Even after being elected MP in 2017, the manna continued raining from heaven. In fact, the firm Abela Advocates received €130,000 in a direct order issued by Muscat’s environment ministry in 2019.

The third reason was revealed recently: Abela was the personal lawyer of the suspected makers of the bomb that killed Daphne, the Agius brothers.

If Abela does not realise that he has blatant conflicts of interest, then the reason can only be one of the following: he is either trying to protect Muscat or else he is simply… thick.

The three judges conducting the public inquiry should simply ignore Abela and his empty words and go full speed ahead in the search for the full and undiluted truth with regard to Daphne’s brutal assassination.

Arnold Cassola is former secretary general of the European Green Party.