The Constitution gives many powers to the Prime Minister. This does not mean that he can do what he likes. There is political pressure to act reasonably. 

That is why there are the institutions and the media to try and control him. There are also legal measures that keep the Executive from carrying on with its work.  Be reminded that the Caruana Galizia family has already won a constitutional case where an objection was made against certain persons on the Police Force investigative team of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination. In this case the argument was that the right to life also means that when someone is killed the investigation is done well and is impartial. When someone is killed, the state needs to ensure that the investigation is efficient. It was decided by the Courts that the investigation was not impartial and the constitutional case was won. With the same argument, when a Prime Minister is involved in the investigation and when he himself gives the briefings, and when the people around him have a dark shadow cast over them, can one say that the investigation is impartial? 

What led to the Prime Minister keeping hold of everything? According to Tonio Borg, who served as Minister of the Interior for 10 years, in an interview that was aired on television last week, the Prime Minister is doing this to give a political aspect to the investigation. The impression that is being conveyed is that the Prime Minister is trying to cover up for a number of individuals, so he has to shoulder the political responsibility. 

Apart from this, Voice of the Workers contends that the Attorney General has a responsibility that equals that of a magistrate and has the freedom to decide whether criminal action should be taken against the highest member of society. If this job is done well, the investigation will yield results, if not, the politician has dominated. This is the moment of truth and we hope that the work that needs to be done, is done without fear. We are not talking solely of corruption here anymore, but of corruption tied to a murder. 

 

 

And what of the Police Commissioner? His absence, the fact that he has yet to been seen or heard to say anything about the ongoing investigations, raises big suspicions. There were no crime conferences called by the Commissioner of Police and, instead, it is the Prime Minister himself who is furnishing us with information. 

Voice of the Workers will continue to call for the truth to come out as this is essential to the trust in institutions and politicians. The truth will out, one day, but at a price. It is acceptable to use pardons but these should be given only to break criminal circles and with the understanding that all who are involved in this brutal murder, even in the slightest, gets what he deserves.  

That is why protests are being organised by civil society to keep up the pressure so that the truth comes out sooner rather than later. 

The position of the Prime Minister is no longer viable and I repeat the words of the organisation Repubblika when I say that “Joseph Muscat at Auberge de Castille until the 12 January 2020 is a threat and an insult to the process of justice”. 

 

This article was sent to publication on Tuesday, 3 December 2019