Nationalist Party wants minister's resignation after AFM drugs heist inquiry

The Nationalist Party has strongly criticised the Government, accusing it of avoiding political responsibility following the publication of an administrative inquiry into security failures.

Shadow minister Darren Carabott issued a statement condemning Minister Byron Camilleri’s response to the findings. He said the government has hijacked national institutions to shield itself from accountability.

Carabott said that neither his party nor the public ever suggested that Camilleri personally stole drugs from the controversial container at Ħal Far. Instead, the Opposition insists that responsibility for national security rests with the prime minister and the minister of home affairs.

The statement likened Camilleri’s current stance to his previous defense of the prison system under Alex Dalli’s leadership, during which multiple deaths occurred without any political consequences.

Carabott argued that despite the inquiry’s exposure of significant security failures, Camilleri is deflecting blame rather than accepting responsibility.

The report, according to the Nationalist Party, highlights conflicting accounts from various government entities, a situation they attribute to institutional control by those in power.

The party claimed that the minister’s refusal to resign, despite multiple controversies, signals a deliberate failure of governance rather than an accidental oversight.

Carabott also pointed to the breakdown within the Armed Forces of Malta’s command structure, asserting that Camilleri remains a symbol of national insecurity.

He called for the minister’s immediate resignation, stating that the government has let down the Maltese people by prioritizing its own survival over national security.

The statement concluded by criticising the prime minister for refusing to accept Camilleri’s offer to resign, describing it as further proof of a government unwilling to hold itself accountable.