[WATCH] Abela says ‘let the institutions work’ when asked whether Vitals inquiry findings concern him

The familiar mantra of “let the institutions work,” made a comeback today when the Prime Minister was asked for any concerns on the findings of the Vitals inquiry.

Robert Abela said he concurred with the President’s call to allow the courts to decide the case in serenity when speaking to journalists outside the court building on Monday.

When asked by the MaltaToday whether, leaving aside the issue of guilt or otherwise, Abela, as the Prime Minister, felt the facts which emerged from the inquiry to be a matter of concern, he sidestepped the question.

“I took the necessary political steps in 2020, and I took them without committing myself or commenting on the guilt or otherwise of persons in [the inquiry]. That is an exercise entrusted to the courts… let us now allow the institutions to do their jobs. Whether someone is guilty or innocent, is definitely not for me to comment on.”

His comments came 24 hours after MaltaToday published the full inquiry into the Vitals scandal.

“The inquiry is not evidence and it doesn’t establish guilt or otherwise. It is a gathering of facts. The court establishes guilt or otherwise,” Abela said, describing the Opposition leader as being “in a state of desperation.”

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In reply to questions about whether he still trusted his disgraced predecessor Joseph Muscat and why he was still defending him, Abela said the President had replied best.

“She said that now the moment has come for the judiciary to evaluate on the basis of the evidence they have before them, not on spin or conjectures,” Abela replied.

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