Repubblika president fears for safety in request for police protection

The president of civil society organisation Repubblika has said that he fears for his family’s safety, in a letter to the Commissioner of Police reporting “indications... of the threatening environment he faces.”

Robert Aquilina, through lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia, told Angelo Gafà that despite his reports, his requests for protection had been rejected.

In her letter, Comodini Cachia called upon Gafà to provide him and his family with sufficient protection that could secure his ability to participate in public engagement without fear or harassment.

Since April 2023, Aquilina has brought information to the attention of the police of the nature of the risk he feels threatens his safety.

“More specifically, the police were informed of signs of an attempted entry into his family home, of evidence witnessed by two witnesses of him being followed by persons close to the network of politicians of whom he is critical in his activism, and of a ‘message’ that a person of Libyan nationality sought to get to him,” Comodini Cachia told Gafà.

Forensic officers confirmed that the marks found on his residence’s door were compatible with an attempt to forcefully enter his home.

Comodini Cachia said afters this evidence was lifted by one police department, the other department whose function is to assess risk had not been made aware of it for five months later.

“That Dr Aquilina has to inform you himself of such real threats and that these are then dismissed as they have been since his request last April, it is an aggravation amounting to a failure by the police in fulfilling their obligation to provide adequate protection.”

Comodini Cachia said it was “easily ascertainable” to the police that the people who had followed Aquilina were in fact connected to a political denounced publicly by Aquilina as abusers of power. She said these persons had “security training”.

Aquilina also told police of a Libyan person who sent him a message on intruction of a Maltese businessman whom Aquilina named as being close to Gafà himself. “As far as he is aware, the instructions for him to be spoken to came from the businessman at a time when Dr Aquilina was publicly questioning the correctness of having a police commissioner being close to a businessman and attending social events also attended by politicians who are persons of interest to the police.”

Comodini Cachia added that attacks from within the House by Prime Minister Robert Abela, who name-dropped Aquilina – brother of Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina – during a 23 Octobr debate on the Steward case, was leading private persons to take it upon themselves to threaten Aquilina.

“For example, a judgement finding one such person guilty of threatening Dr Aquilina and his family, including their whereabouts, by following them on various occasions in churches. But the risks now appear to be of a more serious nature.”