Robert Abela's behaviour in the Sofia public inquiry controversy showed utter contempt for the most important institutions of the country, rule of law group Repubblika said on Tuesday.

It recalled that just last Wednesday, Abela moved amendments to remove calls for a public inquiry in an Opposition motion in parliament. He spoke about why a public inquiry into the young worker's death on a construction site should not be held, and he and the rest of the Labour group voted to defeat the Opposition motion.

Then, just five days later, "because he felt it suited him", Abela ordered a public inquiry, in direct contradiction of what he said in parliament and what parliament decided as a result of his prompting.

"Parliament is not a club which the prime minister can ignore when and how it suits him. Should we act in this manner, we can do without parliament and appoint Robert Abela a dictator," the group said.  

Bullying of the judiciary

Equally worrying, it continued, was how Abela had shown contempt for the judiciary.  The pressure made on the inquiring magistrate was an affront to the independence of the magistrate, as well as a cover for the police force's own failures.

The letters that the prime minister had sent to the chief justice about the magisterial inquiry were an abuse of the judiciary, it claimed.  

Repubblika observed that on Monday the prime minister had said he was ordering a public inquiry because he did not want to be held a 'hostage of the courts.' 

Repubblika criticised Robert Abela for ignoring the Sofia family - then leaving Malta on his yacht the next day. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

The group said that while it had advocated the holding of a public inquiry, it could never agree with the prime minister's reasoning that a public inquiry replaced a magisterial inquiry. 

"Robert Abela does not have the power to appoint courts to replace the courts set up by the Constitution. Had that been the case, one could also make do without the courts, and appoint Abela as dictator." 

Repubblika said Robert Abela had shown himself "heartless" when he ignored the Sofia family on the day of the vote in parliament, went to a concert instead, and sailed on his yacht the next day.

When he tried to discredit the process of a public inquiry, he showed himself compromised in an effort to cover for people who might be held responsible by a public inquiry. 

"When he showed that he couldn't care less about parliament and when he bullied the judiciary, Robert Abela was threatening the decaying roots of what remains of our democracy," Repubblika said.