Bernard Grech on Friday hailed the Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry as a victory for truth that prevailed despite the government’s efforts.
Speaking in parliament during a debate about the inquiry findings, the Opposition leader said the three judges leading the probe concluded that instead of working to prevent the murder of a journalist, cabinet had enabled it and worked to hide the truth.
“We need to fight fear with hope. Malta deserves better than this. We need to reach a point where fear is turned into peace of mind. Peace of mind for everyone, not just for certain politicians,” Grech said.
Cabinet's collective responsibility
Grech said the inquiry had concluded Caruana Galizia’s assassination was a collective responsibility of the Labour cabinet.
The opposition leader gave a rundown of the actions by certain cabinet members, including former justice minister Owen Bonnici, who had ordered a memorial to Caruana Galizia to be clear 500 times.
“Do you know when he stopped? When the courts spoke up. Instead of joining those who tried to keep her memory going, he gave the orders to chuck the candles and flowers in the bin. How can we trust you?”
Like the truth uncovered by Daphne, this is a reality you cannot run from.- Bernard Grech
Grech had similarly harsh words for the actions of former home affairs minister Michael Farrugia and former finance minister Edward Scicluna, who he accused of defending the corrupt projects Daphne was killed for exposing.
“You can try to minimise the truth, with your family, friends and canvassers. Like the truth uncovered by Daphne, this is a reality you cannot run from”, he said of the government benches.
Bonnici and Farrugia are still ministers. Scicluna is now Central Bank governor.
Denouncing Joseph Muscat
He again demanded that prime minister Robert Abela denounce the actions of his predecessor Joseph Muscat.
The opposition leader accused Abela of being a “puppet” and the chosen continuity candidate.
Grech said Abela was now seeking to give the impression that the institutions are working under his tenure.
This impression had been dismissed a few weeks ago by the financial action task force with Malta’s greylisting.
He said the FATF had confirmed Malta’s laws only worked on paper.