Rosianne Cutajar accuses Robert Aquilina of ‘double standards’
PL MP says law must apply equally to all as Repubblika co-founder denies wrongdoing and steps down from NGO
Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar has accused Repubblika co-founder Robert Aquilina of "hypocrisy" and “double standards” following reports that he was recently questioned by police in relation to a domestic violence allegation.
Speaking during Monday’s parliamentary session, Cutajar referred to a report from Saturday that said Aquilina’s wife underwent a domestic violence risk assessment by Appoġġ assessors, who reportedly concluded she was at high risk.
“This is a case that exposes the double standards and the hypocrisy of Robert Aquilina,” she said.
Cutajar’s remarks came just hours after Aquilina announced he was stepping down from Repubblika, the NGO he helped set up and led for several years. Aquilina denied any wrongdoing and asked for his privacy to be respected.
Cutajar said the situation unmasked “the person who projected themselves as the example of correctness, ethics, the defender of justice for an entire country.”
She also criticised Magistrate Kevan Azzopardi’s decision not to order Aquilina’s arrest despite the risk assessment report.
“Why not arrest? If it wasn’t Aquilina maybe a man no one knows would they be arrested? I think so,” she said.
Cutajar claimed Aquilina was being protected, referring to him as one of the “untouchables.”
“The law should apply to everyone the same, whether you are the ex-head of the organisation, Repubblika, as well as if you aren’t involved in public life. The law must be equal and impartial without fear and prejudice.”
Towards the end of her speech, Cutajar appeared emotional as she recalled how she was previously targeted by Aquilina and Repubblika.
“I hope what happened to me doesn’t happen to someone else but I refuse to stay silent when the same mechanisms used against me by others begin to be called cruel. Because if they were cruel now they were always cruel,” she said, referring to being publicly attacked while pregnant.
“They waited for me to be pregnant to publish messages that went back years and they had those messages for years,” she added, referencing her leaked WhatsApp chats with murder suspect Yorgen Fenech.
Cutajar resigned as parliamentary secretary in 2021 following the pending outcome of an investigation by the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life. The National Audit Office later found that her job at the Institute of Tourism Studies was irregular and fraudulent.
“Now Aquilina who built a political career on leaked messages and public humiliation wants us to respect his private life,” said Cutajar.
She also questioned why Repubblika had not condemned "their friend".
She concluded by saying the real victim was Aquilina’s wife and encouraged anyone experiencing violence to report it and seek help.