Rule of law group Repubblika has warned against the Prime Minister’s “grave” behaviour that is crushing the independence of Malta’s institutions, particularly of Parliament and the Courts.

This comes after Abela U-turned on opening a public inquiry into the case of Jean Paul Sofia, despite voting against it in Parliament five days prior.

“The behaviour of the Prime Minister towards the Parliament was really contemptible. Robert Abela submitted amendments to the Opposition’s motion regarding the public inquiry in the case of Jean Paul Sofia. Robert Abela then spoke in Parliament to give the reasons why a public inquiry should not be held. Robert Abela voted in favour of the amendments that removed the reference to the public inquiry,” the group said in a statement.

“Despite this, only five days after the Parliament’s vote, he seemed to have changed his mind and ordered a public inquiry – the opposite of what he said in the Parliament and what Parliament decided by virtue of him.”

Republikka warned that Parliament is “not a club that the Prime Minister can ignore as and when he sees fit.”

If we continue like this, we can end up without a Parliament and make Robert Abela a dictator.”

The contempt that Robert Abela is showing towards the judiciary, the activist group continued, is just as worrying.

“The pressure on an investigating magistrate that is being brought as an excuse for the failure of the police is an outrage on the independence of the magistrate.”

Robert Abela’s letters to the Chief Justice to speed up the process of inquiry or as the group said “to punish her” is an abuse of the entire judiciary.

“Judges are now also subject to letters of reprimand and admonition by the Prime Minister.”

Abela also decided to call a public inquiry because he said “he doesn’t want to be held ‘hostage by the courts’.

“However, as everyone knows, we wanted a public inquiry from the beginning, and we can never accept the idea that the government, or whoever is in power, can take the law into their own hands because they’re fed up waiting for the Court.”

“Robert Abela does not have the power to form his own courts to replace the ones established by the constitution. If otherwise, we can get rid of the Courts and make him a dictator.”

“When he ignored the family of Jean Paul Sofia by hosting a concert and travelling by yacht in the middle of a crisis, Robert Abela showed himself to be heartless. When he tried to discredit the public inquiry process with public lies and in Parliament, Robert Abela compromised himself in the effort to cover up someone who could be found responsible by a public inquiry.”

“But when he defies Parliament and when he bullies the judges, Robert Abela threatens in the clearest way the rotten roots of what is left of our democracy.”

What do you think of Repubblika’s statement?