Repubblika claims police commissioner has evidence of obstruction in Caruana Galizia murder investigations

Repubblika president Robert Aquilina claimed the police commissioner has evidence against two people who obstructed investigations into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, with one of these people being the former commissioner Lawrence Cutajar.

Aquilina made the allegation during a protest in Valletta calling for justice and change under the battle cry: “we will succeed”.

Aquilina said the country has been overtaken by a clique of people that have dominated public institutions and associated themselves with criminals. “And we all know who’s the leader of this clique […] The corrupt prime minister Joseph Muscat.”

Repubblika president Robert Aquilina

He turned his criticisms to three people trusted with some of the highest roles in public life: Prime Minister Robert Abela, Police Commissioner Angelo Gafà, and the Attorney General Victoria Buttigieg.

Aquilina challenged Abela to remove lawyer Pawlu Lia from the Commission for the Administration of Justice, arguing that his place on the commission poses undue pressure on magistrates and judges.

Lia is Joseph Muscat’s lawyer and father-in-law to Magistrate Nadine Lia.

On Gafà, Aquilina pointed out that he has been occupying the commissioner role for 27 months. “Despite all this time, we’ve seen the same impunity we saw under the previous commissioner.”

Aquilina said that the police corps operating with an iron fist with the small fry, but is using kids’ gloves with more powerful people.

“I’m informed that the commission has enough evidence in hand to take action against at least two individuals who obstructed police investigations into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder [...] One of these people is the ex-commissioner Lawrence Cutajar”

He went on to challenge Gafà to hold a press conference and confirm or deny the allegations being made.

With regards to the Attorney General, Aquilina claimed that Buttigieg signed a document in recent months ordering that two people who were supposed to be charged over the Pilatus Bank inquiry remain uncharged. “This document is being kept confidential as if it’s a state secret. This isn’t normal.”

“I challenge Victoria Buttigieg to tell the truth about what I’ve revealed about this secret document she signed. I challenge her to face journalists, in the way other attorney generals around the world do, and give an overview to the public who pay her salary on what she has and hasn’t done in regards to the Pilatus Bank inquiry.”

Hundreds of protestors gathered in Valletta in a call for justice, chanting "mafia" and "jail for the corrupt". Protestors walked through Republic street, starting by the Parliament and stopping by the BOV branch in the area. 

Repubblika vice president Alessandra Dee Crespo

Repubblika vice-president Alessandra Dee Crespo kicked off the speeches with a protest’s rallying cry: “we will succeed”.

“We don’t give up, that’s why we’ll succeed,” she said. “We will continue pushing for the truth because the Maltese people deserve to be informed on the facts as they really are, especially from the national broadcaster, not on manipulated facts that have been turned upside down.”

On Saturday, Repubblika filed a formal written complaint against Charles Dalli and Norma Saliba, editor and head of the public broadcaster respectively. The complaint concerned a misleading report in the news bulletin concerning the NGO’s constitutional case on the recusal of Magistrate Nadine Lia.

“Joseph Muscat and his deceptive propagandists cannot ignore us. We know we’ll succeed. And they know this too.”

Occupy Justice activist Pia Zammit

Occupy Justice activist Pia Zammit compared the situation to that in the United Kingdom, where now-former prime minister Liz Truss resigned after 45 days in office. “There wasn’t months of complaints and accusations, people didn’t spend months protesting in the streets, there was no need for any of this.”

“Why do people in power in Malta find it so difficult to resign?” she questioned.

“We say Malta doesn’t have a ‘culture of resignations’. This isn’t about culture. This is about duty.”

She urged people to speak about injustice. “We’ve learned that this situation will not change until we all start insisting on respect towards our rights.”

A message from the Scottish branch of PEN, a freedom of speech movement, was lread out to the crowd later on.

“Please know that your ongoing actions in support of Daphne are seen here in Scotland and across the world. Five years after the tragedy that was visited upon Daphne and her family by powerful men and the men who enable them, Daphne’s voice and the voices of her supporters are heard more powerfully around the world than ever,” the message reads.

“What those who would obstruct justice for Daphne should understand is that these voices will only become louder the longer justice is denied. The longer we are forced to confront the reasons for her murder, the more committed we become to upholding the values Daphne fought for – and we know that you will not cease carrying the torch she wielded to seek out truth. We stand in solidarity with you.”