53 months since the brutal assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia the country has not taken the necessary action to ensure that what happened that day is not repeated, ADPD said in a statement. Chairperson and candidate on the 4th and 9th district Carmel Cacopardo said that “we hope that justice is truly served but also need to ensure that such heinous act will never happen again in our country.”
16th October 2017 was indeed a dark day for democracy in Malta which we now know was the direct consequence of the impunity which was permeated through the highest echelons of power. It took years for the call for an independent inquiry to look into whether the State took the requisite measures to protect her and whether her violent demise could have been avoided to be heeded.
“Indeed now we know why there was such dragging of feet in the appointment of the inquiry – it confirmed what we knew already that the tentacles of impunity created from the highest echelons in Castille led to her demise. And that the State should shoulder responsibility for her death,” stated Cacopardo.
In their report published in July 2021, retired judge Michael Mallia, former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino and Madam Justice Abigail Lofaro said “the State created an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest echelons of the administration inside Castille, the tentacles of which then spread to other institutions, such as the police and regulatory authorities, leading to a collapse in the rule of law”. They slammed the “lethargic inactivity” of the institutions over their failure to investigate serious allegations of criminal wrongdoing, including by those in government, as being inexplicable and condemnable. The inquiry said steps must be taken to rein in and regulate the links between politicians and big business.
The inquiry went on to issue a number of recommendations as well as a call for change in the relationship between business and government, the police force, and the protection of journalists. “Several months after the publication of the report a reluctance on the part of government seems to indicate that there is not the political will to take the necessary action. What we have heard so far (regarding the media) seems to have been half-baked and simply meant to appease the call to act. Why is the government dragging its feet on this matter? What does it have to hide or who does it want to protect?” asked Cacopardo.
ADPD representatives in Parliament will insist on the strengthening of the rule of law in Malta and that the Mafia culture is tackled head on. Among its recommendations in the fight against corruption and organised criminality, ADPD proposes that:
- the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry are implemented in full;
- all public contracts awarded after 2013 are investigated;
- the passport sales scheme is scrapped immediately;
- a National Crime Agency is established under the authority of a special anti-Mafia magistrate;
- this agency should also investigate the oil contraband taken place at the Hurd’s Bank;
- a whistleblower scheme should be set up at the Planning Authority;
- the Police are given much more substantial resources to fight political corruption and money laundering.
The state has an obligation to defend in every possible way the lives of journalists, the fundamental right to free speech, even when a journalist expresses tough opinions against the government of the day. “Without a free press there is no democracy and we support all those journalists who are not cowed by the attacks on their profession and continue to report on all that is in the public interest without fear or favour,” stated Cacopardo.
ADPD’s Executive Committee members and candidates for the General Election attended this evening’s vigil organised by civil society next to the makeshift memorial in Valletta.
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Il-lezzjoni tgħallimniha?
Fi stqarrija l-Erbgħa filgħaxija, ADPD – The Green Party qal li 53 xhar mill-assassinju brutali ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia il-pajjiż għadu ma wettaqx ir-riformi neċessarji biex dak li seħħ dakinhar ma jerġax jirrepeti ruħu. Iċ-Chairperson u kandidat fuq ir-4 u id-9 distrett Carmel Cacopardo qal li “filwaqt li wieħed jittama li titwettaq il-ġustizzja, hemm bżonn ukoll li naraw li att barbaru bħal dak ma jerġa’ qatt iseħħ f’pajjiżna.”
M’hemmx dubju li s-16 ta’ Ottubru 2017 kienet ġurnata sewda għad-demokrazija f’pajjiżna li issa nafu li kienet kawża diretta tal-impunità li xxerdet mill-ogħla persuni fil-poter. Kien biss wara snin li s-sejħa għal inkjesta independenti intlaqgħat – din investigat jekk l-istat kienx ħa l-miżuri neċessarji biex jipproteġiha u jekk il-qtil vjolenti tagħha setgħax kien evitat.
“Bla dubju illum nafu għala kien hemm dak it-tkaxkir tas-saqajn – l-inkjesta ikkonfermat dak li konna ilna nafu li kienet qarnita ta’ impunità maħluqa fil-kurituri ta’ Kastilja li wasslet għal dak il-qtil. U li l-istat kellu responsabbiltà għalih,” qal Cacopardo.
Fir-rapport ippublikat f’Lulju 2021, l-imħallef irtirat Micheal Mallia, l-ex Prim Imħallef Joseph Said Pullicino u l-Imħallef Abigail Lofaro qalu li “l-istat kien ħoloq atmosfera ta’ impunità, li mill-ogħla awtoritajiet amministrattivi ġewwa Kastilja, laħqu bħal qarnita istituzzjonijiet oħra bħal pulizija u awtoritajiet regolatorji, li wasslu għal kollass totali fis-saltna tad-dritt.” Huma sejħu n-nuqqas ta’ attività mill-istituzzjonijiet li kienu kajmana biex jinvestigaw allegazzjonijiet serji ta’ attività kriminali, inkluż minn dawk fil-gvern, bħala waħda mhux spjegabbli u kundannabbli. L-inkjesta sejħet għal ħtieġa li jiġu ikkontrollati sew ir-relazzjonijiet bejn il-politiċi u n-nies fin-negozju.
L-inkjesta għamlet numru ta’ rakkomandazzjonijiet li kienu jinkludu sejħa biex isiru tibdiliet fir-relazzjoni bejn il-qasam tan-negozju u l-gvern, it-tmexxija tal-pulizija u li jkun hemm protezzjoni tal-ġurnalisti. “Meta għaddew numru ta’ xhur mill-pubblikazzjoni tar-rapport ta’ inkjesta in-nuqqas ta’ azzjoni min-naħa tal-gvern jixhed li m’hemmx ir-rieda politika li t-tibdil indikat jitwettaq. Kull ma smajna s’issa dwar fejn tidħol il-protezzjoni tal-ġurnalisti jidher li kienet biss bżar fl-għajnejn. Għaliex qiegħed ikaxkar saqajh il-gvern fuq din il-materja tant importanti? X’għandu jaħbi jew lil min irid jipproteġi?” staqsa Cacopardo.
Rappreżentanti ta’ ADPD fil-Parlament li se jiġi elett f’din l-elezzjoni se jinsistu biex tissaħħah is-saltna tad-dritt f’pajjiżna u li l-kultura mafjuża titrażżan. Fost il-proposti ta’ ADPD fil-ġlied kontra l-korruzzjoni u l-kriminalitào rganizzata nsibu:
- jiġu implementati b’mod sħiħ ir-rakomandazzjonijiet tal-inkjesta dwar l-assassinju ta’ Daphne Caruana Galiza;
- il-kuntratti pubbliċi kollha li ingħataw mill-2013 ‘l hawn jiġu investigati;
- tieqaf minnufih l-iskema ta’ bejgħ tal-passaporti;
- titwaqqaf National Crime Agency li tieħu l-ordnijiet tagħha min maġistrat speċjali anti-Mafja;
- din l-aġenzija tinvestiga ukoll il-kuntrabandu taż-żejt Libjan fuq il-Hurd’s Bank;
- titwaqqaf skema ta’ whistleblower protection fl-Awtorità tal-Ippjanar sabiex jiġu investigati każijiet ta’ korruzzjoni politika u/jew abbuż ta poter fl-għoti tal-permessi ta’ żvilupp;
- jiġu multiplikati r-riżorsi mogħtija għal investigazzjonijiet eżistenti fi ħdan il-Pulizija dwar korruzzjoni politika u ħasil ta’ flus.
L-istat għandu l-obbligu li jiddefendi b’kull mod possibbli ħajjet il-ġurnalisti, id-dritt fundamentali għal libertà tal-espressjoni, anke meta dawn ikunu opinjonijiet kuntrarji iebsa fil-konfront tal-gvern tal-ġurnata. “Mingħajr stampa ħielsa m’hemmx demokrazija – aħna nuru l-appoġġ kollu tagħna lil dawk il-ġurnalisti li minkejja attakki u theddid fuq il-professjoni tagħhom jibqgħu jirrapurtaw fuq dak kollu li hu fl-interess tal-poplu, mingħajr biża jew pjaċiri,” tenna Cacopardo.
Il-Kumitat Eżekuttiv ta’ ADPD u kandidati għal din l-Elezzjoni Ġenerali attendew il-vġili organizzata illejla mis-soċjetà ċivili ħdejn dak li qiegħed iservi bħala mafkar għal Daphne Caruana Galizia fil-Belt Valletta.