The terrified expert

The court issued a decree to protect the “privacy” of a man accused of serious crimes. Yet, it didn’t lift a finger to protect a key witness from relentless intimidation, harassment and threats. None of this makes sense. The accused has every right to a fair trial but a brazen media campaign inciting hatred of the prosecution’s key witness ensures the whole country is denied justice.

“I fear for my safety, and I have decided I will never return to Malta,” the court expert declared. That man is Jeremy Harbinson, the central witness in the case against disgraced former prime minister Joseph Muscat. And who can blame him?

For months now, Labour’s propaganda machine has mounted a witch-hunt against Harbinson. I counted 47 separate news items on Labour’s station, ONE, all relentlessly targeting him. Not even his wife, suffering from health issues, was spared: “The case of his wife is not an emergency… and he (Harbinson) must wait around six weeks for an appointment.” ONE even picked on Harbinson’s lawyer, Peter Fenech, accusing him of opposing Labour’s magisterial inquiries reforms to shield his client.

ONE claimed Harbinson cheated the country, failed to present invoices, breached Council of Europe guidelines, engaged his friends and relatives despite having no qualifications or experience and defrauded the state.

ONE accused Harbinson of criminal acts – refusing to testify in person and committing perjury.

ONE gleefully repeated calls for the police commissioner to investigate Harbinson. Labour was intent on discrediting the court expert, claiming his declarations were “contradictory or even shameless lies to cover his back”. They accused him of deceit, insisting he is not credible and cannot be trusted.

In an interview with Saviour Balzan, Prime Minister Robert Abela also targeted Harbinson. In which democratic country does the prime minister publicly attack, disparage and smear the key witness in the prosecution of his former leader for money laundering, fraud, conspiracy, bribery and corruption in public office?

Of course Harbinson is terrified. Of course he won’t come anywhere near Malta. He knows exactly what happens to those who expose Labour’s corruption. The last person targeted so viciously by Labour was Daphne Caruana Galizia. The gory details of her brutal end were brought clearly to Harbinson’s attention in recent weeks. She was vilified, disparaged and abused by Labour.

Like Harbinson, her face was plastered all over their news items. Her face was splashed on billboards across the country. She was harassed, spat at and attacked in the street.

Carmelo Abela, then foreign minister, vindictively ordered her son to leave his foreign ministry post in India immediately, with no reason given. Muscat targetted her by identifying her as “the only opposition in the country”. After her death, Robert Abela viciously attacked her family, accusing them of not having any interest in identifying her murderers. Now that same Abela is publicly attacking Harbinson.

Of course Harbinson is petrified. He admitted he’s got no intention of returning to Malta because of “the insights gained over the last seven years”.

Labour is strongly trying to destroy Jeremy Harbinson’s credibility. He’s right to be afraid- Kevin Cassar

We know exactly what those insights are. Muscat, the man Harbinson exposed, was close to Yorgen Fenech, the man accused of masterminding Caruana Galizia’s murder. Fenech also faces other charges including corruption and money laundering. He is contesting all the charges. Muscat invited him to his party, accepted his lavish gifts and travelled with him to the wedding of Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, a man prosecuted in the US for dodging sanctions.

Harbinson witnessed Muscat’s chief of staff evade justice for years despite being banned from entering the US for his alleged involvement in significant corruption. He knows Keith Schembri passed on a copy of Melvin Theuma’s draft presidential pardon to Fenech. He knows how Theuma, the middleman in Caruana Galizia’s murder, was rewarded with a phantom government job from the OPM.

He’s watched in disbelief as Abela reinstated Ronald Mizzi, a man facing prosecution for serious crimes, as permanent secretary in the office of the prime minister and declared him innocent.

Harbinson watched our police commissioner, Angelo Gafà look away as the state was looted but when Rosianne Cutajar ordered him to investigate and prosecute Mark Camilleri for stating the truth, Gafà pounced.

Harbinson knows our police commissioner is a weapon of the Labour Party. Harbinson has seen Pilatus officials given a nolle prosequi despite being identified in a magisterial inquiry as potential criminals.

Harbinson never knows what Gafà might do if he dares return to Malta. He’s watched Abela attack and intimidate the magistrate Harbinson worked with. He’s seen how viciously Labour turned on her father and brother.

Harbinson can’t help being terrified when the Maksar brothers, now charged with providing the bomb that blew up Caruana Galizia, had Abela as their legal representative.

Harbinson won’t dare cross Muscat or Abela with friends like those.

Harbinson has seen enough.

He knows how dark this sunny place really is.

The court has now decreed that “all data” extracted from Muscat’s phone will remain secret: “Public interest served by open justice has to be balanced against a person’s right to privacy.” And it threatened that any breach will be considered contempt of court and “will be treated accordingly”.

Harbinson watches in terror as Muscat is protected, while he, the vulnerable court expert, is publicly slaughtered.

Labour’s campaign is clearly intended to ensure Harbinson never testifies. Harbinson knows exactly what he’s up against – a vicious, cornered former prime minister with the shadiest of friends, ably assisted by his all-powerful successor, Abela, whose Labour Party media machine is digging its teeth into Harbinson.

Labour is strongly trying to destroyHarbinson’s credibility. He’s right to be afraid.

Kevin Cassar

Kevin Casar is a professor of surgery.