Muscat is close to losing his war, Repubblika president says

Repubblika president Robert Aquilina stated that his NGO is winning battle after battle in court, as ex-Prime Minister Joseph Muscat is closer to losing his war.

In his speech during a vigil on Tuesday night, Aquilina mentioned a number of recent wins Repubblika enjoyed in court. On Monday, the Court of Appeals ruled in favour of Repubblika, confirming that the judicial review of the State’s decision not to prosecute senior figures at Pilatus Bank is to be heard in public.

Aquilina also mentioned the court’s rejection of Joseph Muscat’s application for permission to appeal a decree which had refused his request to order the exhibition of the original court application which had triggered the magisterial inquiry into the Vitals Global Healthcare hospitals deal.

“It is evident that our country is heading toward a delicate moment,” Aquilina said, noting that it is reminiscent of the scenes of political turbulence seen in 2019. The NGO’s president stated that people within government that had spoken to him described a state of panic that Muscat and Robert Abela now find themselves in.

Repeating a previous statement, Aquilina said that Abela and Muscat know that Muscat and his accomplices are nearing their meeting with justice. Because of this, he said, they decided to pull no stops in defending themselves.

“This is the true reason behind the sham reshuffle and the political rehabilitation of people like Rosianne Cutajar and Justyne Caruana.”

Aquilina accused Abela and Muscat of undermining the courts, while spreading the lie that civil society forms part of some sort of freemasonry and that independent journalists are the enemy of the workers.

“At the same time they’re trying to meddle with the police so they can have the peace of mind that the police won’t touch them,” he said.

Aquilina concluded by saying that Repubblika is prepared to face serious challenges.