[WATCH] Prime Minister dismisses allegations that Konrad Mizzi has been assured impunity

Prime Minister dismisses allegations that Konrad Mizzi has been assured impunity

Robert Abela has dismissed allegations that Konrad Mizzi’s return to Malta on Monday after a three-month absence was linked to the nomination of a new police commissioner.

Opposition MP Jason Azzopardi has alleged over the past weeks that Mizzi would only return to Malta after being assured the new police commissioner would not investigate him.

Mizzi returned from the UK yesterday after a three-month absence, during which he presented medical certificates to the Speaker to justify his absence.

However, the Prime Minister said on Wednesday it was “a wrong decision” if Mizzi returned to Malta because of Angelo Gafà’s nomination for police commissioner.

“God forbid that is the case, and I am sure that is not the case… I’ve known Gafà in court and he is not someone from the prosecution who you would want to be on the other side as a defence lawyer… Gafà has integrity and is honest and if someone came to Malta because he heard of his nomination, it was a mistaken decision because Gafà will not look at faces,” Abela said.

The Opposition wants Mizzi investigated over money laundering allegations linked to the Panama company set up after the 2013 election and his involvement in major government contracts hounded by corruption.

The Prime Minister said he had not spoken to Mizzi on his return and insisted that if the Speaker felt that the medical certificates presented by the Labour MP were not satisfactory, he had every right to impose the absentee fine.

Call to reconsider grilling boycott

He then called on the Opposition to reconsider its decision to boycott the parliamentary grilling of Gafà, insisting it should not abdicate its responsibilities.

“The Opposition has every opportunity to ask the questions it wants in the public grilling, even those of a personal nature because after all this is a public appointment that merits scrutiny,” Abela said.

He added that his government’s pledge was to allow the police commissioner the space to carry out any investigations he deemed fit without political interference.
But Abela also called on the judiciary to speed up pending high-profile inquiries that have dragged on for years.

“It bothers me a lot that these inquiries are dragging on. I know the Chief Justice is also bothered by unnecessary length of time. We expect everyone to do their work thoroughly and efficiently because time is a key component of justice,” Abela said.