LA VALLETA (MALTA) (MNA-ITALPRESS) – Maltàs Justice Minister Jonathan Attard tabled a motion in parliament to amend the criminal code and reform the way citizens can request a magisterial inquiry. The amendment was tabled after Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the government’s intention to implement the legislative change. The Maltese government is also planning to revise the law to protect civil servants from being taken to court. Without providing specifics, the Prime Minister said the intention was to ensure civil servants investigated for alleged crimes carried out in the course of their professional duties would only be subject to prosecution in their professional rather than personal capacity. However, the Nationalist Opposition immediately declared it would be voting against the proposed amendments describing the government’s move as “a reform that would give public officials immunity from corruption.” The Nationalist Party has branded the proposed reforms as “irresponsible and dangerous,” particularly highlighting the ongoing controversy surrounding the unpublished 17 Black inquiry, which reportedly recommends criminal charges against senior government figures. Former Chief-of-Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister, Keith Schembri and former Minister Konrad Mizzi are set to face criminal charges over plans to receive payments from 17 Black, a secret offshore company owned by Yorgen Fenech, the alleged mastermind behind the assassination of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The prime minister’s controversial proposal has drawn further fierce criticism from the civil society. A protest is to be held in front of the Valletta law courts this evening as a call for citizens to come out in defense of accountability and the rule of law. The protest will coincide with the 88th month since the assassination of Caruana Galizia.(ITALPRESS).
Photo: Agenzia Fotogramma
