Court confirms rejection of Repubblika's request of criminal action against Pilatus Bank officials

A court has rejected an appeal filed by Repubblika to request the police to take criminal action against Pilatus Bank officals.

The NGO’s initial request was denied last January after then-Repubblika president Robert Aquilina filed an application regarding the lack of criminal proceedings against officials of Pilatus Bank.

In his application, Aquilina claimed that, based on investigative journalism, local news reports, and privileged sources, he was personally aware that a Magisterial Inquiry had ordered criminal action against specific individuals in 2021. He further stated that the inquiry, concluded in early 2021, had instructed the Commissioner of Police and the Attorney General to file multiple criminal charges related to the findings.

In response, the Commissioner of Police argued that Repubblika’s request did not meet the legal requirements for challenge proceedings and should therefore be rejected.

The judgment also ordered that all witness testimony and evidence presented in the proceedings be forwarded to the Police Commissioner. This was intended to prompt an immediate investigation into how direct physical access to the inquiry had been granted to third parties, including Aquilina, who had previously stated that he had seen the original inquiry despite lacking the legal authority to do so.

On 4 February, Repubblika appealed the decision. Their lawyer, Jason Azzopardi, argued that the original court ruling demonstrated bias against Aquilina. He also pointed out that, although the judgment referenced hearsay multiple times, it failed to provide any specific examples.