Being a lawyer, Robert Abela could one day qualify to be nominated to the judiciary. But it is not yet his place to act like a judge. Neither can he assume the role of an attorney general or a commissioner of police.

It is not the prime minister who must decide or investigate whether his cabinet colleague, Carmelo Abela, was somehow involved in a bank heist, as is being alleged.

Demanding proof or questioning the credibility of this extremely serious allegation, as the prime minister did on Thursday, is an attempt at avoiding his political responsibility. Robert Abela’s duty towards the country and the rest of the cabinet is not to defend Carmelo Abela but to ensure that his government is beyond reproach and that Malta’s reputation is protected.

The allegation about the minister is that he received a hefty sum of money to divulge security details to a gang of robbers when he worked as bank manager. It is inconceivable that a prime minister can work serenely and hold open discussions in cabinet in the presence of a minister who has not yet cleared his name.

Robert Abela adamantly refuses to take any action to remove the shadow of suspicion that will inevitably hang over his administration as a result of these allegations.

Carmelo Abela strongly denies them. But this is not about Carmelo Abela. It is about trust.

The allegations were made by a man who has confessed to being one of the hitmen in Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder and another who is charged with the killing.

The first did not mention names and spoke only of a sitting cabinet member.

The second, in his quest for a pardon, is known to have mentioned the minister by name.

The prime minister is not wrong to question the credibility of these claims. But he cannot ignore their damaging effect on the confidence that his government should enjoy. And he undermines his own credibility when he shifts the blame onto the Nationalist Party, accusing it of being in cahoots with criminals when one of its MPs repeats the claim.

The prime minister should also know better than to dismiss the claims on credibility grounds because several allegations made about the Labour government in the past eventually turned out to be well founded, even if those who made them at the time were ridiculed, demonised and branded traitors and liars.  Since journalists do not reveal their sources, one can never tell whether any of the information that rocked this country’s political establishment over the last few years originated from the underworld.

Information furnished by criminals has helped solve serious crimes that would have otherwise remained cold cases. Arraignments were made in the Caruana Galizia murder case because a hitman spilled the beans. People were accused of lawyer Carmel Chircop’s murder on the basis of information furnished by other criminals.

In the face of suspicion that a cabinet minister may not be trusted because of possible involvement in serious crime, the prime minister carries on as if it is business as usual. We underline “may not be trusted”, not “cannot be trusted”, even if Carmelo Abela says he does not recall certain delicate matters that usually remain stuck in one’s memory forever. But that is enough reason to act.

Surely it is fresh in Robert Abela’s mind that Joseph Muscat’s persistent defence of his former chief of staff was what ultimately led to the former prime minister’s downfall. 

The prime minister has said the time of untouchables has passed. Regrettably, he is making an exception in this case.