Ministers Connected To French TV Passport Ordeal Cleared Of Corruption Allegations
The Permanent Commission Against Corruption (PCAC) debunked corruption accusations made by a French TV documentary, citing inability to find evidence of wrongdoing by passport agent Jean-Philippe Chetcuti and Minister for National Heritage Owen Bonnici and Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli.
In a report tabled in Parliament, the anti-corruption watchdog said that the allegations made in a French Documentary Series, Enquete Exclusive, could not be “proved beyond reasonable doubt”.
Chetcuti’s law firm had its licence to sell passports suspended in 2019 after a French journalist secretly filmed him speaking about the application process.
The clips alluded to the fact that Chetcuti had been bragging about his close relationships with cabinet members Owen Bonnici and Julia Farrugia Portelli, which in turn gave viewers the impression that the firm had a leg-up when it came to passport applications from rich passport buyers.
Chetcuti had also told the journalist that he was an old school friend of ex-prime minister Joseph Muscat. However, in a PCAC testimony, Chetcuti insisted that excerpts of the conversation aired in the broadcast had been edited and taken out of context.
The Anti-corruption watchdog also brought in Cabinet members Bonnici and Farrugia Portelli for investigation, considering that they were a focal point of the whole ordeal. Bonnici insisted that his “alleged” friendship with the passport agent was “minimal”.
He went on to debunk allegations that he had worked for Chetcuti’s law firm, claiming that their sole interactions had occurred at the Chamber of Advocates.
The same could be said for Farrugia Portelli, who insisted that she merely knew Chetcuti’s wife from their childhood years when she “used to meet her in the school van at the age of 10”. “That is the entirety of our friendship,” she continued.
Farrugia Portelli went on to explain that when his wife tried calling her after the series of events had unfolded she did not even answer. The Cabinet Member stated firmly that “in politics, barriers must be placed where you don’t engage in any relationships.”
In its report, the PCAC explained that in order for the criminal offence of corruption to be present, the burden of proof required is that which is “beyond reasonable doubt”, which is customary criminal procedure.
The PCAC, chaired by retired judge Lawrence Quintano and counting as its members lawyer Philip Magri and former police commissioner John Rizzo, is constituent of three people in total.
The appointment of the Chairman of the Commission lies with the Resolution of the House of Parliament, supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all the members of the House. The second member of the Commission is elected by the President who acts on the advice of the Prime Minister, whereas the third member is appointed upon the suggestion of the Opposition Leader.
Robert Aquilina, co-founder of anti-corruption NGO Repubblika, has recently said that the PCAC is unequipped to adequately investigate corrupt acts. He described it as lacking “the necessary tools, or the time necessary to carry out judiciary-level investigations, despite the integrity and competence of the members appointed to this Commission.”
What do you make of the PCAC’s decision?