[WATCH] Bartolo gets harsh grilling over new job to ‘spray-paint Malta’s reputation’

Bartolo gets harsh grilling over new job to ‘spray-paint Malta’s reputation’

Foreign minister Evarist Bartolo got the third degree from veteran interviewer Tim Sebastian – formerly of BBC’s Hardtalk – in a Deutsche Welle interview that dealt with the aftermath of the investigations into the Caruana Galizia assassination.

Bartolo, newly appointed to the role by the new Robert Abela administration, attempted an honest conversation with Sebastian, conceding that Malta faced systemic problems that are common to micro-states.

He lamented what he called “the rule of family and friends” being stronger than the rule of law in Malta.

“It is very porous and there are no boundaries between the primary group of friends and families, and the secondary group of institutions… in our societies, it is a tougher, more formidable challenge to make sure there are rules and regulations.”

Bartolo defended his decision to back Konrad Mizzi as minister in parliament when a motion moved by the Opposition called for his removal, saying the amendments tabled by the Labour side made it possible to “hold my government… to introduce measures to increase accountability.”

Mizzi had been implicated in the Panama Papers, as the owner of a company with links to 17 Black, the company owned by Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the Caruana Galizia assassination.

Bartolo says he threatened to resign in November 2019 when Fenech was arrested, unless Keith Schembri, the former chief of staff to former PM Joseph Muscat, and Konrad Mizzi, are sacked. Schembri has now been revealed to have leaked information on the murder investigation to Fenech, with whom he shared a business relationship.

“It’s only recently that things became so clear to us. I know that even in 2016 I warned that there was a shadow government and a network of decision-makers that were influencing what was happening,” Bartolo said.

But Tim Sebastian had a harsh assessment for the foreign minister, saying his statements on Facebook were nothing more than “vague” words that danced around the subject.

“They weren’t cryptic… I put pressure on my government for that change to happen.”

Bartolo said he will stake his reputation on making “all the truth come out… I will be judged by what happens.”