Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1311619
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 NOVEMBER 2020 NEWS Keith Schembri resigned from PM's chief of staff after meeting Muscat in a late-night private meeting at Burmarrad. Resigned from Labour Party on 20 December Konrad Mizzi resigned from Tourism Minister, and was expelled from Labour Party's parliamentary group on 23 June following media reports linking him to Fenech in alleged corruption linked to Montenegro windfarm project Joseph Muscat, following stormy cabinet meeting, announces resignation but holds on to power till election of Robert Abela as new Labour leader on 12 January. Resigns from Member of Parliament on 5 October 2020 Neville Gafà resigns from unspecified role at OPM, a day after Robert Abela assumes the helm Chris Cardona suspends himself from Minister and is not reappointed in Robert Abela's new Cabinet. Resigns from Labour Deputy leader on 17 June 2020 26 November 2019 1 December 2019 14 January 2020 Yorgen Fenech's casualties IF one were to turn the clock back by a year, it would end up in a completely dif- ferent political landscape. "This is not my last budget," declared Joseph Muscat somewhat prematurely in October 2019, only a month before Yorgen Fenech's ar- rest. Only before he had quashed specu- lation on his imminent resignation after failing to secure a top EU position some months before. And despite mounting evidence linking Yorgen Fenech – one of the owners of the LNG plant in Delimara to 17 Black, the secret company linked to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi – both seemed solidly entrenched in their respec- tive positions. Even the Opposition's calls for their resignation as well as that of Police Com- missioner Lawrence Cutajar and Attorney General Peter Grech had fallen on deaf ears as the electorate continued to reward Labour with electoral victories. On the op- position benches despite being trounced by Muscat in MEP elections in June, Adri- an Delia had managed to weather the storm and seemed destined to continue leading his party to an electoral wipe-out in 2022. This was the political situation in the country just a month before the army intercepted Yorgen Fenech's boat as he was allegedly trying to flee the island from Portomaso. Trouble on the horizon Behind this semblance of normality, the country was haunted by the unresolved as- sassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, whose shrine in front of the law courts was still regularly cleared by gov- ernment officials, only to be re-erected by activists. While three hitmen were facing charges as the material executers, speculation on who had ordered the murder had been growing since 6 October when the Times had indicated a "major businessman" among three potential key suspects behind the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. In another ominous sign that trouble was brewing on the horizon, the United States embassy issued a statement on the second anniversary of Caruana Galizia's assassina- tion, offering its support to the investiga- tions "if requested by Maltese authorities". And just five days before Fenech's arrest the government gave in to two years of in- tense international pressure by the Caru- ana Galizia family by appointing a public inquiry led by three legal minds deemed acceptable by the family. A week before Fenech's arrest, in a clear sign of unease, Keith Schembri avoided cross-examina- tion about the once-secret offshore com- pany 17 Black, as he dropped libel pro- ceedings he had instituted against former Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, trigger- ing the first in a series of street protests which rocked the Muscat administration in later weeks. Muscat's final days Yet even during the initial days following the arrest of taxi driver Melvin Thuema, who was later granted a presidential par- don, Muscat seemed determined to stay on until the resolution of the case, repeat- edly crediting himself for having the mur- der resolved under his watch. Yet it was Fenech's proximity to close Muscat allies Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, both linked to him through 17 Black, which rendered Muscat's position untena- ble. As the days rolled on the situation start- ed slipping out of his control as protestors took to the streets. And amidst rumours of an alleged plot to frame Chris Cardona with the murder, it was a Cabinet revolt which ultimately pushed Muscat to resign. Still – he managed to do so on his own terms, securing an acclamation in his party on the eve of an election which saw continuity candidate Robert Abela win over Muscat's least preferred candidate, Chris Fearne. How Abela raised the bar Yet upon being elected, Abela imme- diately sent a message that it was not business as usual, by firing Schembri ally Neville Gafà from the OPM and removing police commissioner Lawrence Cutajar from office. On a symbolic level, one of Abela's first decisions was to stop the removal of flow- ers from the Daphne shrine in front of the law courts, thus putting an end to a farce. The number of casualties linked to Yor- gen Fenech continued to snowball in the next months. Practically all those charac- ters, which Simon Busuttil and civil soci- ety groups had asked to resign, lost their posts under Abela. While Abela was often overtaken by events and media reports as was the case with footage linking former police deputy chief Silvio Valletta to Yor- gen Fenech and media revelations link- ing the Montenegro wind farm to Yorgen Fenech's offshore activities, Abela did not refrain from drawing political conclusions, making Justyne Caruana resign over her husband's actions and firing Konrad Miz- zi from the PL parliamentary group even before he was even interrogated by the po- lice. In so doing Abela has not only broken with the impunity of the Muscat years but has effectively raised the bar, making it clear that political responsibility must be carried even in the absence of evidence of direct criminal responsibilities. By raising the bar immediately after being elected, Abela may well have conditioned his own One year on: The domino effect of Fenech's arrest JAMES DEBONO takes a look at the massive political changes and resignations triggered by the arrest of Yorgen Fenech a year ago Reforms enacted, proposed since Fenech's arrest • New method to appoint police commissioner, a public call and shortlisting by Public Appointments commission • Role of State Advocate and Attorney General • Election of President by two-thirds majority constitutional amendments • Registry of lobbyists proposed by Standards Commissioner