Let the institutions work
Joseph Muscat thinks that he can manipulate the court into decreeing that the magisterial inquiry into the Vitals deal – which he was heavily involved in – (and which in separate court proceedings have already been declared as fraudulent) is being conducted by a magistrate who is not impartial.
Muscat’s claims that the magistrate is not impartial stem from the fact that some of her relatives posted some comments on Facebook not to his liking, and which therefore – according to his twisted logic – means that the magistrate conducting the inquiry should recuse herself, and that all the evidence on the case compiled by the magistrate should be scrapped.
He must be really desperate to think that the magistrate should recuse herself because of comments he found distasteful written by her relatives on social media. Her relatives are not bound to keep their opinion to themselves simply because they have a magistrate in the family. They are not bound by a code of related ethics, rules or regulations. And Muscat never had any issue with appointing judges or magistrates who occupied posts within the Labour party or who publicly expressed their support for the Labour party.
Another fact that shows the inquiring magistrate is not impartial according to Muscat is that she did not ask him to testify when he offered to. As though the impartiality of the magistrate is determined on the basis of whether she follows his wishes or not.
He is also arguing that someone involved in the inquiry is leaking information about the proceedings, but offered no evidence to prove his claim.
His lawyer whined in court about the fact that Robert Aquilina, president of anti-corruption NGO Repubblika, called Muscat corrupt. Of course, if Muscat feels aggrieved, he always has the option of instituting a libel suit against Aquilina. Yet despite Aquilina’s frequent references to him as corrupt, Muscat has not done so, and seems loath to do so for reasons known only to himself.
The highlight of the court proceedings was that pointed out by activist and Vice-President of Repubblika Alessandra Dee Crespo in a Facebook post, and which she described as “epic”, and “the best part of the whole proceedings” – when the State Advocate told Muscat to “let the institutions work”, Muscat’s standard reply in the face of documented and substantiated wrongdoing.
L-aqwa mument waqt is-seduta: “Mela ejjew inħallu l-istituzzјoniјiet јaħdmu” (Avukat tal-Istat fit-trattazzjoni tiegħu). B’Joseph Muscat fl-awla. Quddiemu. Iconic. Alessandra Dee Crespo
Things are not going well at all for Joseph Muscat. Without the authoritarian power he wielded during his tenure as Prime Minister, he is helpless, clutching at straws in desperation.
He knows what will happen next. And he’s scared. He should be.
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