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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella MANAGING EDITOR Saviour Balzan Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 NOVEMBER 2020 Delivering heads on a stick Editorial WHEN Angelo Gafà was appointed Police Commis- sioner last June, it was widely acknowledged that he faced a daunting uphill struggle. Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant, for instance, voiced the opinions of many when he tweeted that: "The New Police commissioner will have a lot on his plate, he will need to come to immediate grips with firefighting the essentials, meanwhile he must get on [and] drive the much-needed structural changes…" It must be said, however, that in the short time Gafà has occupied that sensitive post, there has been a visible step forward when it comes to police work in general: but most notably, on the issues of justice on financial crime. Following years of inaction on the 2016 Panama Papers scandal, the two main political protagonists – former energy minister Konrad Mizzi and OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri – were finally interro- gated under arrest on 12 November. Two months earlier, Schembri had already been arrested in connection with an investigation into an alleged €100,000 kickback he took on passport sales from his auditor, Brian Tonna. Apart from demonstrating a previously-lacking commitment to take action, these arrests also put into evidence a similar change of heart by the office of the Attorney General (also under new leader- ship). In Schembri's case, the September arrest came after the new AG Victoria Buttigieg asked the court to impose a freezing order on all Schembri's assets, including those of his immediate family and compa- nies. All this stands in stark contrast to the reluctance, previously displayed by both former Commissioner Lawrence Cutajar and former Attorney General Peter Grech, to investigate and prosecute cases in- volving highly-placed politicians within the Joseph Muscat administration. And while the belated action may also have been influenced by the pressures of the imminent Mon- eyval evaluation: this fact, in itself, also illustrates the sheer cost of the previous culture of political immunity. In the end, Malta's prolonged tolerance of finan- cial crime became a threat to the country's very economic survival. As such, Prime Minister Robert Abela's choices seem to have already paid dividends: for, regardless of the outcome of Moneyval, it re- mains crucial that Abela is seen to be taking Malta's rule of law shortcomings very seriously indeed. Much the same applies to Malta's previous culture of inaction against organised crime: two years later, it remains inexplicable how no action had ever been taken against two Maltese nationals, despite a 2018 Catania court ruling which exposed their involve- ment in an international money laundering and fuel smuggling racket. It was only this week that Darren Debono, Gor- don Debono (no relation) and Jeffrey Chetcuti – along with 12 other suspects – were finally arrested and a few charged over their alleged role activities that could be related to that multi-million criminal operation. It says something about our previous reputation, that the Embassy of the United States would wel- come these developments with the words: "Through the international anti-money laundering operation, Malta has demonstrated its commitment to working with its regional and international partners, includ- ing Europol, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to […] fight transnational organized crime." This must also be viewed against the backdrop of a €261,000 fine, imposed by the FIAU against Cre- dence Corporate Advisory Services: one of the cor- porate service providers found by MaltaFiles to have facilitated massive tax avoidance for oligarchs. There is no doubt, then, that all these actions have done a great deal to restore a semblance of normality in a State that has been damaged – both reputationally and psychologically – by the ramifica- tions of the deplorable events of the past four years: Panama Papers, its aftermath, the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the alleged complicity of the Muscat administration in serious allegations of corruption. Nonetheless, this should not be a matter of trium- phalism for the incumbent Labour administration. Such achievements – coming so late in the day – take place against the backdrop of a ruthless dis- pensation with the norms of law and justice. Much remains to be done, if we are to shed the image – so carelessly cultivated under the Muscat administra- tion – that there was 'one law for lesser mortals, and no law at all for the gods'. All the same, it is to Robert Abela's credit that active steps have been taken to achieve certain re- sults; and certainly enough to allay the pressure of civil society groups which had made their anger and righteous indignation heard in November 2019. It is now time for the Labour administration to reinforce and support the role of the Maltese police force's newfound vigour to prosecute such crimes, and deliver the 'heads on the stick' needed to restore normality to Malta. 28 November, 2010 Bishops sound Christmastime warning on MPs' report on IVF ARCHBISHOP Paul Cremona and Gozo bishop Mario Grech have sounded an early alert from the Church on future legal developments on the regulation of in vitro fertilisation (IVF), or arti- ficial insemination. Referring to a report to lawmakers by MPs in a select committee for IVF that recommends the freezing and storage of embryos, the bish- ops posed a rhetorical question in their pastoral message that implied their resistance to the ideas being put forward on an IVF law in Malta. "How can we carry on insisting that children are at the centre of our social and civil life if we condone the freezing of embryos when in other countries, this has ultimately resulted in the killing of embryos? How can we not offer the child who is born solely through technological aids the same ambience as the child who has been born to a couple who have committed themselves to a stable marriage?" the bishops ask in a letter to be read in all Churches tomorrow. The Bishops say it has become "common" to use technology for the conception of babies and it is "easy to confuse the primacy of the baby with the desires of parents." "We would like to make it clear that we are referring only to the consequences which may be suffered by the children themselves and not to the moral aspect. We need to ensure that the choice made in favour of the baby is a pure and holy one. Once this choice is left in our hands, in the hands of technology, we need to check whether there are any of its rights which are being violated… For us Christians, every right which is afforded to an adult person should also be afforded to a baby in the womb and to children." The Bishops will say that Christmastime offers a time for reflection, the family, exemplified by Bay Jesus and his mother Mary and his putative father Joseph. At the same time, they express concern for children born to single mothers or in broken marriages. "As Christians, we do not judge people in these situations, but we view it as a challenge to love and contribute our share towards bettering our society for our children. We need to strive harder so that this crib – a baby flanked by a father and a mother – is not tarnished for us humans, for every child!" ... Quote of the Week "I had ambitions for the top role. I had visions for the country." Former Labour minister Konrad Mizzi giving a statement to the Caruana Galizia public inquiry, where he reveals he wanted to be PM MaltaToday 10 years ago