European Parliament Rule Of Law Debate On Malta And Slovakia To Be Held This Evening
A resolution calling for action to be taken with regards to the investigations into the assassination of journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia and Ján Kuciak will be debated in the European Parliament this evening.
A vote was originally supposed to take place in April but will now take place on Thursday, after it was pushed forward so as not to clash with the second run-off of the Slovak Presidential Election.
MEPs feared that a debate and vote on the issue could prejudice the election result and wished to send a message that the debate was an important non-partisan issue.
The debate will have a wider focus on rule of law and fight against corruption in the EU, but places particular attention on the situation in both Malta and Slovakia.
The resolution expressly calls on Maltese authorities to establish an independent inquiry into the murder of Caruana Galizia that can lead to a speedy identification of its masterminds, to publish the full version of the Egrant Inquiry and launch an investigation into corruption and the links between 17 Black, Tourism Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Keith Schembri.
There are also calls for the country to shore up its cash-for-passports scheme
Last week, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat told Lovin Malta action will be taken against the masterminds of Caruana Galizia’s murder once more evidence was available.
While he did say that the investigations were at an advanced stage, he would not comment on specific details to the case, adding that it would do nothing but fuel speculation.
So far, three men have been arrested and charged in relation to the crime. In contrast, Multimillionaire Marian Kocner has been identified as the mastermind behind the murders of Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kusnirova.
“Changes need to be made and now is the time to put the many words that members of Governments from both countries have made, into concrete actions,” the EPP said of the resolution February which was drafted after visits to both. “The citizens of both countries should have their minds put at rest that their authorities are truly acting in their interest.”
When the resolution was initially approved, Muscat accused the EP of being victims to “direct or indirect interference by Maltese political forces with an overtly partisan agenda”.
This was echoed by PL MEP Miriam Dalli, who said that some of the MEPs who form part of the Rule of Law Monitoring Group (ROLMG) have allowed their partisan political agenda to cloud their judgement.
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