A country that fought for freedom and independence will continue fighting for justice

This free and independent country deserves true justice.

The Partit Nazzjonalista is committed to ensuring that this is a truly free country – a country without fear and, above all, a country that acts. In a country where the system created by the Government is one that stifles justice, the Partit Nazzjonalista will continue to be what it has always been – and what the Government has failed to be in recent years – the people’s shield in the fight for full justice.

During a press conference addressed by Shadow Minister for Justice Joe Giglio and Shadow Minister for Home Affairs Conrad Borg Manché, the Partit Nazzjonalista said that this is a country that fought to be free when it worked to achieve independence. Today, we must continue safeguarding what we achieved by continuing to work for justice and truth.

During the press conference, the Partit Nazzjonalista said that it continues to insist that the recommendations of the Public Inquiry be implemented immediately. Full responsibility for ensuring that this happens rests with Robert Abela, who has spent years obstructing their implementation.

He once again obstructed the introduction of these measures, which are necessary to achieve true justice, when he again refused to take part in a parliamentary debate requested by the Opposition on the Motion it had tabled.

Instead, Robert Abela still appears comfortable surrounding himself with people who, to this day, continue attacking the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family, or who want to convince us that she was not murdered because of her work. These include his Minister responsible for broadcasting, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, and his Special Delegate for the implementation of Labour’s electoral manifesto, Jason Micallef, who described calls for justice for Daphne as “vandalism”. One must ask whether Robert Abela shares the views of these people with whom he has surrounded himself.

The speakers also recalled how Abela remains comfortable with Keith Schembri, who was mentioned several times during this trial and who, as recently as yesterday, was identified as the person who commissioned the assassination in recordings of Yorgen Fenech’s interrogation revealed by the media. Schembri himself said that, until a few months ago, Robert Abela was seeking political advice from him.

Abela also appears to remain comfortable with his closeness to Joseph Muscat, who, according to Fenech, knew about everything that was taking place and whom Keith Schembri said he had instructed to speak to the accused’s lawyers. Abela remains so comfortable with Muscat’s presence that the former Prime Minister even appeared in Labour’s electoral campaign just a few weeks ago and endorsed several members of the current Cabinet.

The Partit Nazzjonalista asked how the public can have peace of mind when it hears Fenech speak about massive national capital projects and alleged corruption involving millions of euro linked to them, while to this day we do not know whether these matters were or are being investigated. The Shadow Ministers also asked whether other politicians are being investigated in connection with this case.

“Robert Abela has still not uttered a single word about everything that emerged yesterday. Abela cannot remain silent if he is to be worthy of serving as Prime Minister,” Joe Giglio and Conrad Borg Manché said.

They also spoke about the importance of implementing the Public Inquiry’s recommendations so that, among other measures, every relationship between a politician and a businessperson is documented and always conducted officially, journalists are afforded greater protection and institutions are strengthened.

With regard to the Attorney General, they said that what happened in connection with this case exposes a systemic failure. The “mistakes” made during this trial add to a long list of other “mistakes” by Victoria Buttigieg. These include the “mistake” of dropping the charges against lawyers who allegedly attempted to bribe a journalist; the “mistake” that led to the expiry of Keith Schembri’s freezing order; the “mistake” that resulted in the case concerning the contract Justyne Caruana awarded to her partner becoming time-barred; the “mistake” that will soon result in the case concerning the alleged misappropriation of public funds from the ITS by Rosianne Cutajar becoming time-barred; the “mistake” that will also result in the medical visas case involving Neville Gafà becoming time-barred, in which the whistleblower – who was acquitted – was prosecuted instead of Gafà; and the “mistake” in the case involving It-Topo, who had shot at the Police and ultimately got off lightly when the charges were dropped.

All this is more than enough to demonstrate that the Attorney General is not fit for purpose.

The Partit Nazzjonalista added that, five years later, the recommendations concerning the strengthening of the Police Force also remain shelved.

These recommendations must be taken seriously so that our people can be guaranteed an autonomous and independent Police Force.

What emerged from this trial points towards persistent political interference by politicians in an assassination case. To this day, the public has still not been given peace of mind that this will not happen again.

This is particularly concerning because the Minister currently responsible for the Police Force is the same person who fuelled hostility and hatred towards Daphne Caruana Galizia and her family – attacks that continued even years after the journalist’s assassination.

Robert Abela himself was among those who attacked the Caruana Galizia family when they insisted on a public inquiry. Abela continued showing them disrespect when, just a few days ago, he falsely claimed that he had spoken to them, only to be contradicted by the family itself minutes later.

The Maltese people want justice through actions, not words.

Robert Abela says that he wants to proceed with prudence and caution. In reality, however, he is acting like someone demanding political omertà, allowing everything to carry on as though nothing has happened.

If Robert Abela wants to silence the people, the Partit Nazzjonalista will ensure that he does not succeed.

A free Malta, a Malta without fear, demands justice. The Partit Nazzjonalista will continue insisting that justice is both done and seen to be done.

07.09.2026