Throughout his six years as prime minister, before he was forced to step down as the wind he sowed became an uncontrollable whirlwind, Joseph Muscat and his disgraced administration practised a policy of panem and circenses. He kept the crowds entertained and ‘well-fed’, mesmerising them to the point of appearing infallible, indestructible, his statements never questioned.
But that all changed in late 2019 when the arrest of Yorgen Fenech, now facing charges of complicity in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, led to a veritable political earthquake. Very little was known then when compared to the information that has emerged since. It is now very evident that what had been rejected by crooks as wild allegations, conjectures and conspiracy theories were no figment of somebody’s imagination.
It is about time that Muscat stops trying to downplay the relationship that existed, certainly until quite recently, between him and Fenech. The businessman played a leading role in the Electrogas power station deal and was also revealed as the owner of 17 Black, one of two sources of income, according to a leaked e-mail, for Panama companies belonging to Muscat’s top aide, Keith Schembri and to the then cabinet minister Konrad Mizzi.
Muscat has said he was introduced to Fenech about 12 years ago and, since then, met him on “one-off” occasions, even specifying that they only met eight times. “We met socially and rarely spoke about projects,” the former prime minister told the Caruana Galizia murder public inquiry.
He accepted that “a friendship” existed. It also resulted that Muscat, Fenech and Schembri had a WhatsApp chat group.
On one occasion, Muscat and his family spent a holiday in a French hotel owned by Fenech’s family.
Muscat invited Fenech to his birthday party in January 2019, when the businessman must have already been on the police radar. In fact, Muscat said the invitation went out to Fenech on the advice of the security service, although he eventually regretted it.
Fenech gifted Muscat three expensive wine bottles, one a 1974 vintage, the year when Muscat was born, and the other two having a 2007 vintage, when his twin daughters were born. It had also emerged that Fenech gave Muscat a Bvlgari watch valued at about €20,000.
Times of Malta has just revealed that, in March 2019, Muscat introduced Fenech to a prominent Italian businessman in connection with a potential energy deal linked to Electrogas. At the time, Muscat was aware that Fenech was a person of interest in the Bidnija murder investigation.
Still persisting in his old, wayward ways, Muscat would have us believe this was “normal practice” and that he acted upon “a request... regarding a project of national interest”.
What Muscat did was not normal at all. Fenech had already, months before, been exposed as the owner of 17 Black, with all the implications of that. The following November, the businessman was arraigned in connection with the Bidnija murder, which means the police had been eyeing him for some time and the prime minister would have been privy to that fact, given the very high profile of the case.
Muscat has every right to make his own defence. It is an unconvincing one. The message he had sent to Fenech just before the January 2019 birthday party – that “me, you and K” (possibly referring to Schembri) should have a chat – reeks too much of a scheming group of associates rather than mere friends.
Posturing no longer works. It is now time for a reckoning.