Repubblika demands suspension of politicians under investigation

Corruption has “spread and captured” each of Malta’s institutions, recently-formed civil society group Repubblika has lamented.

The group said that although corruption was a fact of life, Malta had reached “a dire point” where wrongdoing has become institutionalised.

In a statement to mark World Anti-Corruption Day that is celebrated tomorrow, Repubblika said no one was willing to shoulder any responsibility for their actions.

“In the past, high level officials used to resign or suspend themselves until their name was cleared when faced with corruption allegations,” the group said, lamenting institutional inaction towards individuals facing corruption allegations.

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The group put forward a list of demands, including the full publication of the Egrant inquiry and an explanation by minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff Keith Schembri as to why their Panama companies were to receive payments from 17 Black, a company owned by an Electrogas investor.

The group has also asked the Prime Minister to “stop creating smokescreens as a distraction to escape scrutiny and responsibility for his omissions”.

Repubblika’s salient demands are:

• Answers to questions about the company Egrant and its beneficiary;
• The publication of the full Egrant inquiry
• Information as to what has been done by the authorities to find the mastermind behind the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia
• Publication of a full copy of the agreement by which three public hospitals were passed to a private company
• The removal of Deputy Police Commissioner Silvio Valletta from any post within the FIAU
• Politicians under investigation over corruption allegations immediately suspend themselves until their position is clarified