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MEPs demand justice for Caruana Galizia in ‘rule of law’ debate [live-blog]
Follow our live-blog here: MEPs debate the rule of law in Malta in the aftermath of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia
Last updated on 14 November 2017, 4:50pm
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
1 min read
Rule of law in Malta will come under the spotlight Tuesday afternoon, as MEPs debate the issue within the European Parliament at 3pm in Strasbourg, featuring speakers from the European Commission, the European Council and MEPs, from varying parliamentary groups.
The Commission will be called on to put pressure on the Maltese government, to ensure proper functioning of the rule of law the upholding of EU values.
A resolution is expected to be co-signed by all parliamentary groups, except from the Socialists & Democrats, with the vote expected to pass with a large majority.
READ European Parliament resolution rule of law in Malta [EPP, ALDE, Greens, GUE-NGL, ERC] and European Parliament resolution rule of law in Malta [S&D]
The resolution concerns politically exposed persons and their involvement in the Panama Papers, as well as the lack of investigations into the leaked FIAU reports.
MEPs are also expected to call on the European Commission to launch an investigation to discover whether Malta is compliant with anti-money laundering directives.
The debate comes in the wake of the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder and is the second time the rule of law in Malta is being debated by the European parliament. The first was called last June, following the Panama Papers allegations.
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
“I give you assurance that the EC will pursue all your questions and provide you with answers whenever we can. But again what is not on, as far as the EC is concerned, is to start with a conclusion and then look for facts to prop up that conclusion. That is not how we do things.
“On the sale of passports, Malta is not the only member state that has that scheme – other member states have permanent residency for people who invest. In our 2018 report on this, we will describe the EC’s actions in this area and provide some guidance. We are working on this report right now. Member states should use their prerogative on citizenship in line with their EU obligations and in sincere cooperation with other member states.
“The Commission insists with Malta to sincerely consider the possibility to join the EPPO. “I do express the hope that given the seriousness of this issue and the questions put on the table, that we do not turn this into a party-political fight. This is not what Daphne deserves.”
“Caruana Galizia, being assassinated in this way, was the most glaring of this threat. Looking at the judicial authorities, we are not looking at the combination of business and financial rules. Malta has to rethink its development model and not act as a specialist in tax avoidance and money laundering.”
“The haste to condemn Malta in this parliament without the need of an objective analysis confirms the double standards adopted in Europe.”
“Daphne Caruana Galizia was executed and her killing exposed the urgency of the situation in Malta where the ruling party has used its majority to run roughshod over the rule of law. We must say that it is outrageous that the press is under threat, that the police refuse to investigate corruption.
“There can be no true democracy with a shackled democracy. Our prime minister calls us traitors in his rallies and rails against ‘evil Europe’. Stand with us, do not let us down.”
“The Malta government has repeatedly accepted to receive delegations of this parliament, indeed invited Commission scrutiny over a number of areas. Partisanship in the rule of law will undermine the moral basis of the House.”
“The fact that a country like Azerbaijan could insinuate itself into a bank in the heart of the EU, like Pilatus, is what we should be investigating.”