MEP Alex Agius Saliba highlighted his “full faith in Malta’s justice system” while noting that this was yet another “futile attempt” by criminals aiming to try and receive a presidential pardon.

The MEP emphasised that “EU institutions must leave our courts and investigations to do their job”.

Agius Saliba also stated his dismay that Malta’s Opposition was “trying to win cheap political points from allegations being made by Malta’s top criminals to get away with murder”.

Roberta Metsola & David Casa

In a joint statement, MEPs Roberta Metsola and David Casa highlighted that the past few weeks Robert Abela had not shown the “political courage to take any action against one of his closest Ministers”.

The two PN MEPs noted that action taken against Carmelo Abela should have been “the obvious decision” in light of the allegations being made.

“A few days ago, the Prime Minister accused the Nationalist Party of working in tandem with criminals. Such accusations have now been ridiculed to the point that the only individuals who are being accused of collaborating with criminals to murder a journalist and rob a bank are two individuals at the highest levels of the Labour Party: a sitting Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, and a former Deputy Leader.”

Both Metsola and Casa emphasised that Malta is expecting Roberta Abela to lead rather than continuing to hide “behind every pathetic excuse in the book” and that he needs to “stop burying his head in the sand”.

“People in Malta and Gozo, expect the highest standards from their ministers, rather than have them linked to organised crime’s bank heists”, their statement read.

“Full justice for all these crimes cannot be served or to be seen to be served if sitting Ministers are being so directly implicated in organised crime networks. As the PN has already stated, Carmelo Abela’s position is untenable and he should be removed from his office of influence, at least pending the investigations.”

They also noted that Robert Abela current faced a choice that his predecessor, Joseph Muscat, faced many times during his term in office: “that of defending the interests of the Labour Party or the interests of the country”.

“Sadly, like Joseph Muscat, we have no doubt Roberta Abela will continue to choose his narrow, partisan agenda over national interest.”

Cyrus Engerer

Meanwhile, MEP Cyrus Engerer stated his belief that politicians should not get themselves involved in trials or investigations that were ongoing by institutions and authorities.

“Citizens expect all the truth to come out following thorough investigations and that any individual, irrespective of their background and affiliation, is brought to justice.”

Engerer further reaffirmed his trust in Malta’s “strengthened justice and good governance system which is achieving results”.

Lovin Malta also reached out to Josianne Cutajar and Alfred Sant for comment yet, as of the writing of this article, have not received a response.

This article is part of a content series called Ewropej. This is a multi-newsroom initiative part-funded by the European Parliament to bring the work of the EP closer to the citizens of Malta and keep them informed about matters that affect their daily lives. This article reflects only the author’s view. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

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