Updated | ‘We are not here to judge John Dalli’s innocence’ – Mario de Marco

PN deputy leader Mario de Marco says Opposition was questioning the Police Commissioner’s course of action.

The Opposition's protest against the Speaker's ruling had nothing to do with former European Commissioner John Dalli but it was about the course of action embarked upon by Police Commissioner Peter Paul Zammit, deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Mario de Marco said.

Addressing parliament calling for a revision of the ruling which found Opposition leader Simon Busuttil in breach of privilege, de Marco said Dalli had given years of service to the PN, the governments, the country and the Maltese.

"We are not here to pass judgement on John Dalli, but it's about the Police Commissioner," de Marco said.

"It is a fundamental principle that law and justice are applied equally to everyone, irrespective of whom that person is."

De Marco said that while the Prime Minister had all the right to disagree with the Opposition, "he has no right in keeping us from saying what we believe".

He added that Joseph Muscat had had every opportunity to deny any political interference had taken place. "Dr Busuttil's statement was not only made in parliament, but had been made twice before while addressing political activities," he said.

De Marco added that the ruling followed "a tit-for-tat" between Simon Busuttil and Joseph Muscat.

"Simon Busuttil spoke about political interference and the Prime Minister's reply was to gag the Opposition."

According to de Marco, the statement made by former police commissioner John Rizzo in court stating he had decided to arraign John Dalli - an arraignment which never took place - had required a reaction by both the government and the opposition.

"The public expected a reaction, because like us, questions were being raised. We both had the right and duty to speak out on this case. And the Opposition's reaction was based on the facts which emerged from the court and statements given by the Police Commissioner," de Marco said.

He said that "political interference" was derived after Zammit declared "no case" shortly after he was appointed to the point. "We saw how the police inspector leading the investigation had been assigned to other duties... the same inspector who had had disagreements with Zammit over the John Dalli case."

De Marco said it was curious how Zammit decided that John Dalli should not be arraigned.

The deputy leader fervently urged the Prime Minister to clarify matters.

"The people voted for a new way of doing politics. If the PM wants to say 'that's how things used to happen before', then he should remember that this is not what the people voted for. The Prime Minister has a majority vote because he promised a new style of politics.

"If he fails to do so, the result will be people fed up of the political class, losing all sense of respect and trust in politicians."

De Marco insisted that both government and opposition had to fight every day to earn and retain the people's respect.

He argued that the Prime Minister was in a position to know what was the Attorney General's advice and why the Police Commissioner believed there was no case against Dalli.

'An arrogant government'

The PN's deputy leader for party affairs Beppe Fenech Adami said it was almost unbelievable that while the Labour government was elected on meritocracy, accountability and transparency, "yet today the Opposition is being gagged from delivering its messages".

He described Schembri's speech "as a lecture in withholding freedom of expression".

Fenech Adami said that Labour's first six months in power were marred by "incompetence and arrogance".

The deputy leader, who took government to task over the number of appointments within the Army and the Police Force, also described the ministers' declaration of assets as "a parody".

Fenech Adami's tirade goes on, referring to the appointment of Sai Mizzi Liang as government's envoy to attract investment from Asia.

"There are people out there whose yearly salary amounts to Mizzi's monthly wage," he said.

According to the deputy leader, Muscat was "hypocritical".

"Because he went before the United Nations crying about the poor and the migrants but just two months before he was in Malta planning to pushback migrants who had just landed in Malta."

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Mario demarco, you are here to critisize the government and provide alternative policies. And not to bring up silly issues like these and others, to deviate public openion from recent achievments of Muscat. As former PN leader once said that in politics there is always some ill doings, , corruption and the like. Worse is that PN is no puritan party, far from it !!!!!!
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"We are not here to pass judgement on John Dalli, but it's about the Police Commissioner," de Marco said. Sure we know that you were not there to pass judgement on John Dalli, you havedecided that alli was Guilty months ago
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First 6 months of the P.N. in Government way back in the 80's Pontifiocal Mass at Westminister Cathedral, London (how much did it cost and how many Maltese living in London attended Among the entrouge a hair dresser so that the ladies will be served. Crossing into East Berlin to show how courasgeous one was. (The Berlin wall was still in erxistance). Shall wee carry on Beppe
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Paul Sammut
still worried, in 5 years time the present PN Trio & C0 will be redundant and singing Those were the Days.
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Dr. Demarco, jiena ma nafx fejn kont qed tgħix matul iz-zmien tal-kas ta' John Dalli biex qed tgħid li inthom mhux tiġġudikaw lill John Dalli. Inthom mill bidu ħriġtu tiġġudikawħ. Mela ma kontx taqra ċertu stqarrijiet li kienu joħorġu sħabek? Mela qatt ma qrajt x'kienu jgħidu dawk li kienu jappoġġjaw lill-partit Nazzjonalista? Inthom sibtuħ ħati qabel biss tressaq quddiem Qorti li hija hi li tista issib xi ħtija. Tkunux ipokriti aktar. Inthom ikkundannajtuħ qabel biss tajtuħ iċ-ċans li jikkontesta xi akkuzi li saru fil-konfront tiegħu mid-dawk li verament iħobbuħ.
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'Not here to judge Dalli': but to thrash him to oblivion? Interference against Dalli by GonziPN before elections and after, this was continued by SimonPN. What's in a name?
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This is similar to the Ceasar case or should I mention the Gorg Borg Olivier case (E TU BRUTUS).
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L-ewwel salbuh , ghajjruh u anqas ma nafx x'ivvintaw fuqu kif ukoll qalu li riedu jarrestawh -imma imhabba l-elezzjoni ma irrastahwx- u issa ghandna l-verzjoni bil-kontra ta Demarco! Mhux x'tghid int Demarco li jghodd-int ghandek daqsxejn sense; imma x'qalu l-kardinali ta madwar Gonzi u issa x'qal Simon li kompla fejn spiccaw l-kardinali ta Gonzi! Ma kienx hemm interferenza minn GonziPN: tridtx tmur! Pull the other one Simon!
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With all this confusion from Simon,I bet the PN in five years time will have De Marco leader of the party.
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Luke Camilleri
Nixtieq naf dawn in-nies jekk jiltaqghu ma John Dalli fi triq , John Dalli wiehed minnhom , John Dalli ex-Ministru ta' Kabinett Nazzjonalista jkellmuhx jew jaqsmu ghan naha l'ohra u jiskartawhx! Simon joffrilu café jekk jiltaqa mieghu fejn immorru jiehdu café il -Membri Parlamentari ?
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DR DEMARCO I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN YOU TO HAVE A CIVIL HEAD AND TO KEEP AWAY FROM THE UNFOUNDED ALLEGATIONS NOW EMANATING FROM YOUR LEADER ON A DAILY BASIS. IF JOHN DALLI HAS GIVEN YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE PN, TO THE GOVERNMENT AND TO THE PEOPLE, WHY WAS HE FRAMED TWICE BY YOUR PARTNERS IN THE PN? AND IF "We are not here to pass judgement on John Dalli, but it's about the Police Commissioner," HAS NOT THE POLICE COMMISSIONER SERVED THE COUNTRY FOR OVER TWENTY FIVE YEARS IN THE POLICE FORCE, AND IS MUCH, BUT MUCH MORE LEARNED THAN THE PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER. SO IF THE PN IS NOT PASSING JUDGEMENT ON JOHN DALLI WHY IS IT PASSING JUDGEMENT ON AN EQUALLY HONOURABLE COMMISSIONER PETER PAUL ZAMMIT. Apart from the fact that no one, according to Pope Francis, has the right to pass judgement (unless you are a judge), why should the opposition believe ex Commissioner John Rizzo, when he had all the tools at had to act when he had the chance to do so, and not the present Commissioner. Is it because Rizzo was appointed by the PN, and served the PN even after the PN lost the election? That is what you, Dr De Marco should first ask yourself and then answer. If you believe in God, and if you believe in Justice, keep your hands clean and do not defend the indefensible.
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"We are not here to judge John Dalli...." deMarco. No John Dalli was already judged, found guilty and thrown to the dogs by the Democratic Christian Party or Partito Nazzjonalista. Now the question for the PN is where to bury John Dalli. Maybe you can use the Mizbla again.
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Author of this article is wrong. Busuttil was not found to be in breach of privilege. Busuttil was found to be PRIMA FACIE in breach of privilege and only the Privileges Committee can decide whether he is or isn't in breach of privilege. So please stop adding to the confusion. What is taking place tonight is a propoganda exercise using valuable Parliamentary time. Dalli, the Police Commissioner, past and present, are not the issue but whether what Busuttil has done breaches House rules. It is as simple as that. Rather than educating the people about proper behaviour so that our MPs can be pushed to be role models, the media continues to confuse minds. The issue is simple: did Busuttil break House rules? If he did he should accept the fact. If he hasn't he should defend himself before the House committee. Common citizens can be brought before this House Committee if after a complaint by a member the Speaker rules that there is a prima facie breach of privilege. So what's special about Busuttil? Two weights and two measures?