Watch: Chaos In Parliament As PN Shadow Minister Accuses Government Of Wanting To Kill
During yesterday’s parliamentary sitting, the inquiry reform entered its second reading of Bill 125, which seeks to change the way magisterial inquiries are appointed and conducted.
The debate quickly became heated, with Shadow Minister for Justice Karol Aquilina strongly opposing the bill. He declared:
“This government is a dictatorship that wants to take all the power from the state and keep it in its hands, to do whatever it wants, to abuse whenever it wants, to steal as much as it wants, to kill whomever it wants.”
His remarks sparked uproar in the chamber. Justice Minister Dr Jonathan Attard immediately confronted Aquilina, demanding: “So you’re saying that the government wants to kill someone? You must retract that.”
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Deputy Speaker David Agius also intervened, asking: “Are you saying that the government ordered someone to be killed?”
Aquilina stood by his statement, raising his voice as he reiterated: “I am saying that the government wants to kill someone.”
Coincidentally, around the same time, forensic accountant Jeremy Harbinson—who had been overseeing the Vitals inquiry—announced that he was refusing to testify in Malta due to concerns for his safety.
The fallout from Aquilina’s statement was swift. Several Labour Party figures took to Facebook to condemn his remarks. Former Deputy Leader for Party Affairs and President Daniel Micallef noted that this was not the first time Labour members had been insulted, stating:
“I don’t care if they call me illiterate, as long as I am not internally wrong.”
He implied that Aquilina’s words suggested justification for taking such actions oneself. Micallef further argued that if a Labour politician had made similar claims, they would have been ridiculed.
Other political figures also voiced their concerns, including Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici, MP Julia Farrugia, and former MEP candidate Jesmond Bonello.
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