Abela denies U-turn on Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry

Prime Minister Robert Abela denied making a U-turn on a public inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia, insisting that the government's position remained the same over the past months.

In an interview with MaltaToday online editor Karl Azzopardi, Abela said that the magisterial inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia is still the only way to establish criminal wrongdoing.

“It’s a magisterial inquiry that must establish who was responsible for this case. It’s a magisterial inquiry who must determine who must be brought to criminal court for their mistakes.”

He put the onus on the magistrate for taking too much time to conclude the magisterial inquiry. He said it was the extension to the inquiry revealed on 15 July that changed the government’s line of reasoning.

“I never excluded further investigations so the whole truth can be brought to light.”

Abela insisted that it was still the proper process to wait for a magisterial inquiry and then conduct further investigations later.

He slammed the Nationalist Party for ‘riding on the bandwagon’ to call for a public inquiry.

“The terms of reference will establish every shred of doubt. If irregularity is found, anyone responsible from the bottom up must pay the price.”

Abela said that his position on the Sofia inquiry converged with that of Joseph Muscat, who agreed with a public inquiry but said that the magisterial inquiry must conclude before this.

He also said that him leaving Castille while people were laying candles in memory of Jean Paul Sofia was not an act of defiance.

“If I exited from the side, I would have been asked why I was scared of the crowd,” he said.

When asked about reforms from the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry, Abela blamed the Nationalist Party for blocking important measures.

On organised crime, Abela insisted that the Labour government led the fight against this. “With one cabinet decision, we assured that all those responsible for the case were charged.”

Abela was referring to a partial presidential pardon granted to Vince Muscat, which led to the arrests of those who supplied the bomb that killed Daphne Caruana Galizia.

On construction, Abela said that the country is in a new phase. “A growing economy is good, but there is development, traffic increases.”

When asked about the metro, Abela said that the government has looked at various measures to decrease traffic and promote multi-modality, including offering free public and school transport.

Abela explained that even when the population was lower, heatwaves would cause interruptions. “The power station is like a human heart. The heart is strong. The power station and interconnector are strong.”

“Now we address the veins, which is the distribution system – the cabling that provides electricity supply from the power station and interconnector into people’s homes.”

He said that €90 million is being invested to strengthen these distribution centres.

On a new economic model, Abela said it is natural for countries to transition into new models over time. He said that back in 2013, the country had high unemployment and was struggling to attract investment, and so the economic model has to address this.

“Development isn’t all bad. It’s bad when it doesn’t respect certain principles,” he said, referring to the new Trident Park development that incorporated environmental and sustainability principles.

He compared this development to pencil or shoebox apartments, which oftentimes don’t respect the neighbouring landscape.

Abela defended Bill 28, a new legislation that allows for abortion under strict circumstances and only with the approval of a three-member medical team.

He said that a doctor can still intervene if the woman is at risk of, for example, losing her eyesight - although the law stipulates that abortion will only be allowed is a woman's life is in immediate risk or if a woman's health is in grave jeopardy which can lead to death.

Abela said that the discussion on abortion should accelerate, but politicians should stay out of the debate to avoid the issue being politicised.

On next year’s MEP and local council elections, Abela said that he is not happy with the level of apathy in the electorate, reflected in the high abstention rate in last year’s general election.

“My ambition is to convince the public that this government is the only political party that can offer a strong vision for this country, that can lead the interests of workers, businessmen, students, pensioners, elderly.”