The Labour government condemned the Vitals Inquiry for its massive expensive billed by the UK company Harbinson Forensics. In Court, defence lawyers are tearing the inquiry apart. The so called “forensic expert” of the UK company doesn’t even want to come to Malta to testify in Court over his own work despite being paid lavish sums of money.
I’m not going to try to tear the inquiry apart. I prefer not.
Criticism over how all suspects were charged in a similar way making their offences equally serious, was justified by the Court as it decided to hear the cases of individuals separately.
This chaotic and disorganised situation has enabled the Labour government to further justify its abuse and clampdown against Magisterial Inquiries. The Judiciary feels exasperated and defeated.
How did we come to this point? The Judiciary is not to blame: Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa is. As per custom, the Judiciary has always made use of the Police to conduct its investigations. The Judiciary made use of a private company because Police Commissioner Angelo didn’t have the means and the personnel to conduct a complex financial and money-laundering investigation and this situation was the willing result of the Police Commissioner himself. Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa doesn’t even have the trust of most of the Judiciary after having refused and failed to conduct any investigations on the widespread abuse of power, corruption and financial crime by members of the Labour government. The Magistrate was left without the proper professional and specialised backing to conduct a complex financial investigation.
The current Financial Crimes Investigations Department is still under-resourced and lacking specialised personnel. FCID Police Officers, who are responsible for high-profile anti-money laundering cases, such as that of Progress Press are going to Court testifying about the case without knowing any details about it.
A Police Commissioner who is capable and willing to conduct complex financial and anti-money laundering investigations would have never allowed the situation to deteriorate to this extent. Nor would they have betrayed the State by fully outsourcing their responsibilities to the Judiciary while simultaneously diverting to them all the political hubris caused by his failures.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
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