Robert Abela learnt a lot

Malta went through “some difficulties” in the last few years where good governance was concerned – but it has “learnt a lot”, Prime Minister Robert Abela told European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders.

“Some difficulties” means giving a concession worth €4 billion in a fraudulent deal through collusion with a bunch of businessmen who didn’t have an ounce of experience in health.

“Some difficulties” means choosing ElectroGas by having the managing partner of Nexia BT, the company that set up the minister’s secret offshore company to oversee the competing bids.

“Some difficulties” means providing an “irregular” €432 million guarantee to ElectroGas using taxpayer’s money.

“Some difficulties” means distorting the tendering process with the late inclusion of a security of supply agreement to ensure that Joseph Muscat’s friend Yorgen Fenech got the deal.

“Some difficulties” means allowing Pilatus to continue to bank the unbankable without any oversight whatsoever – and when a magisterial inquiry recommended criminal prosecution of its officials, the police and AG conspired to exonerate them.

“Some difficulties” means awarding a quarter of a billion euros illegally to a DB consortium.

“Some difficulties” means Enemalta forking out €10 million for shares in a wind farm worth only €2.9 million. €4.6 million euro of that money ended up in 17 Black, the company owned by the Prime Minister’s friend.

But the EU Commissioner needn’t worry.  Robert Abela has “learnt a lot”. To prove how much he’s learnt Abela “highlighted our continuous reforms”.

The prime minister told Commissioner Reynders that he “looked forward” to “game-changing” legislation protecting journalists.

Abela tried fooling the commissioner. It’s been almost two years since the Daphne Caruana Galizia inquiry concluded.  Abela hasn’t properly implemented a single one of those recommendations.

He stuffed his committee of experts with Saviour Balzan, Saviour Formosa and Carmen Sammut. It’s been over five years since Labour’s arch-critic was murdered. It’s been three years since Abela became prime minister and he hasn’t lifted a finger to protect journalists. Instead, he’s actively attacked them publicly.

His own justice minister attacked Robert Aquilina at a press conference. Aquilina was forced to plead with the police and prime minister to afford him protection in an open letter. But neither the police commissioner nor the prime minister has replied.

Abela’s party and its stations continue to target Aquilina.

Robert Abela’s government and its entities are engaged in a campaign to bring The Shift to its knees through 40 separate freedom of information legal challenges.  Abela’s government has already lost 11 of those challenges. He’s ignored pleas from international media freedom organisations who consider those cases as SLAPPs to drop those cases.

But Abela stubbornly persists in squandering our money to fund an army of lawyers to harass an independent newsroom – out of pure spite.  The only thing Abela is looking forward to is seeing the newsroom fold.

Abela was the first to attack Mark Camilleri for publishing chats between Rosianne Cutajar and Yorgen Fenech. He called him cruel and misogynistic. When Jacob Borg from the Times asked him about his dodgy deal with Christian Borg, he launched into a tirade and accused his editor of conspiring with the chief Nationalist Party strategist at Costa Coffee and refused to answer questions.

“We mean business in tackling organised and financial crime”. That was the biggest joke Abela shared with Commissioner Reynders.

Just days earlier it was revealed that Abela’s friend Christian Borg, facing charges of abduction and investigations into narcotics smuggling, had been depositing hundreds of thousands of euros in cash with no questions asked.

Borg had signed cheques worth €75,000 for Abela and his wife. Borg’s companies were awarded contracts worth hundreds of thousands of euros by Transport Malta and LESA after Robert Abela became prime minister.

Another contract worth €3 million awarded to Borg’s company was cancelled only after members of the judiciary complained.

While Borg’s company ran up over €22 million in debts, he was enjoying a lavish holiday in Las Vegas with the tax commissioner.  Robert Abela contacted the same commissioner to discuss the opposition leader. Although Borg claimed only €1.1 million in earnings, he had acquired property worth over €2 million without taking out a bank loan. He amassed a fleet of 1,670 cars.

Meanwhile Konrad Mizzi, the subject of a damning FIAU report, continues to enjoy his freedom.  Keith Schembri, facing money laundering charges, continues to get government contracts.

Joseph Muscat received tens of thousands of euros from Accutor AG which received millions of euros from Steward on the day it took over the concession.

Commissioner Reynders isn’t blind.  He’s no fool.  And Abela didn’t impress him much.

“It is important to find a way forward to transform discussion into effective legislation,” Reynders commented politely. He meant what the hell are you waiting for? Stop the useless drivel and do something, was his message.

But the bright spark Edward Zammit Lewis thanked the Commissioner for his “fairness” towards Malta by acknowledging “the progress the country has made in issues of rule of law and media pluralism”.

Zammit Lewis completely missed the thrashing the Commissioner had just delivered the Labour government. The man who called his supporters “gahan” (idiots) should take a long hard look at himself.

The Commissioner had more tough words for Labour.  He expressed his “surprise” that Malta had only frozen €220,000 in Russian-owned assets.  And parted with a stern warning: “I will be following up with the Maltese government to understand why the figure was so low”.

Did Zammit Lewis thank him for that too?

The media was only invited to follow the first 20 minutes of Robert Abela’s meeting with Commissioner Reynders. The rest was held behind closed doors. If Reynders was so blunt in public, he must have been even blunter in private.

In 2021 Reynders voiced the “conviction of the European Commission of the importance of using all the instruments at its disposal to defend the rule of law”.

Let us hope Reynders keeps his word.