Abela has pledged to reform the legislation covering magisterial inquiries and he is being heavily criticised for attempting to make citizens’ ability to request investigations even harder because the only option would be to go to the police.

“The present Police Commissioner has refused to investigate cases of very questionable conduct on the part of politicians several times in the last four and a half years. The Magisterial Inquiry is therefore the only means that the common citizen has to request an investigation into alleged bad behaviour on the part of politicians,” the parliamentary petition reads. 

Abela’s argument is that, at present, magisterial inquiries are being used as political weapons by the Nationalist Party because figures related to the party have made a number of such requests. However, the Prime Minister is ignoring the fact that it is completely up to the magistrate to accept an inquiry request.

Subsequently, many have criticised the reform for being a “danger to democracy” that will allow suspicious moves of those in power to go unchecked.

Click here to sign the petition by latest, 20th March.

What are your thoughts on this reform?