Abela extending impunity from 'corrupt politicians to servile civil servants': NGOs, political parties say
Organisations and political parties slam Prime Minister Robert Abela’s speech on Sunday in which he said government would be protecting civil servants and government workers from being taken to court in their personal capacity

Updated at 2pm
A number of organisations and political parties have slammed Prime Minister Robert Abela’s speech on Sunday in which he said government would be protecting civil servants and government workers from being taken to court in their personal capacity.
Independent candidate Arnold Cassola accused Prime Minister Robert Abela of “extending impunity from corrupt politicians to servile civil servants who, in their personal capacity, are cheating the country.”
“This is unacceptable. We must resist this serious threat to democracy,” the independent candidate said on Monday.
Cassola, the Nationalist Party, NGO Repubblika and NGO Il-Kollettiv also issued statements criticising the PM.
On Monday, Cassola said Robert Abela as PM is in cahoots with “supposed servants of the state” like Angelo Gafa' and Victoria Buttigieg, and has done his utmost to ensure the impunity of individuals like Joseph Muscat, Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi.
“Now Abela, himself a former business partner of a criminal like Christian Borg or of a business mogul like Gilbert Bonnici, is going a step further in trying to hinder the citizens' rights to hold elected officials and civil servants accountable for their actions,” Cassola said.
“I therefore invite all democratic and honest Maltese to attend the protest organised by Repubblika and addressed also by Graffitti next Thursday 16 January at 6.30 p.m. in front of the law courts in Valletta,” he said.
Representatives of Cassola’s Momentum Party will be attending the protest.
Nationalist Party: ‘Abela wants immunity for corrupt politicians and their accomplices’
Reacting to Abela’s statement, the Nationalist Party said Sunday’s speech shows Abela wants immunity for corrupt politicians and their accomplices.
“To achieve this, Robert Abela intends to change the laws of our country, laws that have been in place for decades and have consistently been interpreted and applied by our courts with a strong sense of justice,” Opposition Justice spokesperson Karol Aquilina said.
He said Abela is making it clear that he is choosing to side with criminals rather than the honest Maltese and Gozitan citizens “who are fed up with being robbed by the tax of corruption they are being forced to pay.”
“The PN considers Robert Abela's speech and plan to be irresponsible and dangerous, a slap in the face to anyone in our country who abides by the law. The PN will resist and fight Robert Abela's intentions with all its strength through actions in Parliament, in the courts, and in the streets of our country,” it said.
Aquilina said anyone who is honest and has not committed any abuses in their position of power has no reason to fear justice.
“It is only those who have abused their position and committed serious crimes such as corruption, fraud, theft, abuse of power, and money laundering who have reason to fear justice and the unwavering commitment of our Judges and Magistrates to uncover the truth. Robert Abela is terrified of the truth and of justice because he knows that, like his predecessor, he leads a Government riddled with corruption, with one Minister after another being implicated in serious cases of corruption, abuse of power, and graft,” Aquilina said. “When a public official is asked to turn a blind eye or participate in illegal activities, they must refuse to comply and responsibly expose whoever is asking them to engage in abuse, regardless of who they may be.”
Repubblika: ‘Abela wants to legalise impunity’
NGO Repubblika said in their reaction it is “truly appalling” to see the PM “dismantle what little remains of the rule of law.”
“Our country has a centuries-old legal tradition that holds public officials to a higher standard of accountability. When a public official commits a crime that they are duty-bound to prevent others from committing, they face more severe legal consequences. This makes perfect sense. After all, we have the right to expect public officials to act conscientiously and in the public interest, not their own personal interest. The public has the right to demand that public officials lead by example, speaking out and taking action when they witness wrongdoing, rather than remaining silent,” the NGO said.
The NGO said Abela not only wants to eliminate the aggravated penalties for criminal behaviour by public officials, but he also wants to exempt them from any consequences when they commit crimes.
“Abela claims he is introducing these changes because public officials have been subjected to years of prosecution due to magisterial inquiries, only to later be found innocent. This is a fantasy. No prosecution of a public official for alleged corruption in the past ten years has resulted in a finding of innocence after a false prosecution,” it said. “There is nothing wrong with having laws that hold public officials personally responsible if they, with malicious intent or negligence, allow public funds to be misappropriated. These laws, which have been in place since the 19th century, do not demonstrate distrust in the civil service. On the contrary, they reflect the significant responsibility entrusted to public officials.”
Abela attempting to grant immunity to the political class – Il-Kollettiv
NGO Il-Kollettiv said it is dangerous for a PM to use the laws as a protection for the political elites while robbing citizens of their right to justice.
“In recent scandal-ridden years, the Government has worked hard to withhold information about the way public funds are being spent, and is now looking to restrict the public’s only recourse to justice,” the NGO said. “The PM is ignoring the public sentiment, whereby many feel that Malta needs more and better law enforcement, not less; the numerous injustices in every sphere of everyday life are being borne by the population, in silence. A leader who turns the blind eye to illegalities of the elites – in an inconsistent manner from one case to the other – cannot expect the population to abide by the laws.”
The NGO also voiced its concern over the support to the PM’s proposal by the developers’ lobby.
“We are also worried by the support to this proposal shown by the Malta Developers Association, which, whilst avoiding the mention of two of its board members, announced its interest against the opening of these magisterial inquiries. The MDA represents private interests that may be subjects in these inquiries, and it is not the lobby’s remit to pressure government into changing the civil and criminal legislation, or to block the road to justice of thousands of residents, for example in Planning,” it said.
“Up to a few years ago, the MDA had complained at the favourable price at which the government handed over public land to the DB Group. Now, with two similar cases involving two of its directors and the transfer of government land, the lobby is demanding the suppression of the truth.”
“We reiterate that the public has a right to request inquiries to any authority as necessary. Some weeks ago, we requested an NAO inquiry into the agreements for transfer of public land in Mellieha and Villa Rosa, and we intend to make another request in the coming weeks.”