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2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR Matthew Vella mvella@mediatoday.com.mt 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 • 28 FEBRUARY 2021 Case closed? Not quite Editorial THE arrest this week of three more men suspected of involvement in the Caruana Galizia assassination, as well as the 2015 Carmel Chircop murder, was unde- niably a major breakthrough for police. It also stemmed from the decision of one of the original suspects – Vincent Muscat – to accept a plea bargain. This has, in fact, been the pattern of the in- vestigation: Muscat had already pointed out Melvin Theuma, the assassination middleman, to investiga- tors; and Theuma in turn accepted a Presidential par- don to tell police all he knew about the assassination. But without European pressure, a money launder- ing investigation might not have led to Theuma's ar- rest, and his subsequent revelations (which led to the arrest of alleged mastermind, Yorgen Fenech). Moreover, the arrest of the Agius brothers and Jamie Vella – long associated with other gangland murders, as well as drug trafficking charges – reso- nates with an earlier point this newspaper had made editorially: that a resolute prosecution of the criminal parties named in the Caruana Galizia investigation, also merited criminal investigation of all the preced- ing murders and assassinations that are linked to the same protagonists. As with the murder of Carmel Chircop, and his links to the More Supermarkets fiasco, these arrests are a twitch on the thread that runs deep into the Maltese underworld and its possible links to Malta's political class. All the same, however, one must still tread with caution on certain statements. In the first place, Vin- cent Muscat's knowledge of past crimes deserves to be treated with judiciousness; in part because of the sheer breadth of crimes his career may have stumbled on; in part because of the hearsay evidence that some of his claims represent. From this perspective, more prudence would be warranted from all sides. Misrepresenting this infor- mation, or turning it into a battering ram for political manoeuvres, could actually endanger the work of the police force. Not to mention that, in the unenviable position Muscat now finds himself in, this prisoner still must be protected by the State: while detained in the same building that houses his co-conspirators, and all the other people accused in the Caruana Galizia assassi- nation. A second consideration relates to the suggestion by Commissioner of Police Angelo Gafà, to the ef- fect that everyone involved in the entire conspiracy – from the 'mandante' to the executioners – has been apprehended. This might be premature. A lot that has emerged from Theuma's testimony, and the public inquiry in- to the assassination of Caruana Galizia, raises the fear of political interference in the investigations that led to the Theuma arrest. There can be no justice for Caruana Galizia if the alleged involvement of the PM's former chief of staff Keith Schembri, through his assistance to one or oth- er players in this plot, is not thoroughly investigated. A number of previous allegations may also amount to, at minimum, an attempt to obstruct the course of justice: for instance, that former Police Commission- er Lawrence had alerted middleman Melvin Theuma of his impending arrest. Even more worryingly, these allegations, among others, were not even investigated by the police until recently: i.e., after a change to the helm of the Police Force. Yorgen Fenech himself alleged with the police – in November 2019 – that the plan to murder Daphne Caruana Galizia had been hatched by, or with, none other than Keith Schembri himself; that he [Schem- bri] allegedly paid €80,000 for its execution; and that Joseph Muscat himself could be one of only three people – outside Keith Schembri, Yorgen Fenech and the others already implicated – who was allegedly aware of these details (even if only after the murder was committed). While these claims still remain to be proven – and the presumption of innocence remains a key principle here – there can be no question as to why the general public rages for justice on this heinous assassination. Belittling those who avail themselves of this right, as Labour TV boss Jason Micallef did this week, betrays the absolutist pretensions of partisan politics, where the public is expected to be quiet or take its lead from those in power. But 'Justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia' is not the sole prerogative of the Nationalist or Labour Party, or even of the growing civil society movement that has arisen in the wake of the murder itself. It is justice for Malta. Because the factors that made this murder possible in the first place – and which can be seen to have hin- dered, or at least tried to hinder, the subsequent judi- cial process – are also institutional shortcomings that affect the entire justice system: and not this particular case only. 27 February 2011 Anti-Gonzi placards torn at Libya protest A number of placards criticising Prime Min- ister Lawrence Gonzi's recent meeting with Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, held aloft by members of left-wing NGO Moviment Graffitii, were snatched away and ripped by angry onlookers during an anti-Gaddafi pro- test march at Valletta yesterday morning. Ironically, the march was organised to de- nounce the excesses of a dictator who is notori- ous for repressing all forms of public criticism of his own government. The protest was attended by a few hundred demonstrators, including many Libyans and for the most part, the placards and slogans were aimed at denouncing Gadaffi's brutal crackdown on the ongoing popular uprising, now entering its second week. However, six of the visible placards targeted the Maltese Government for having 'courted' the Libyan dictator over the years: the most recent example having taken place immediately before the unrest begun, when Gonzi met Gaddafi for a private colloquy on 8th February – at a time when Tunisian president Ben ali had already fled his country and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was still hanging onto power by a thread. The 'offending' Graffitti placards showed a picture of Gonzi and Gaddafi at this meeting, above the single word 'SHAME'. Other similar placards also criticised Opposition leader Joseph Muscat for similarly fraternising with Gaddafi in recent months. Among the people who objected most vocif- erously to these placards were journalist Lou Bondi and blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia. The former accused Graffitti of 'putting off' other participants in the march with such an overtly political statement. The latter also asked the activists to remove the placards, despite herself uploading several similar photos on her own blog over the preced- ing week – showing former Labour stalwarts such as Dom Mintoff, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and Alex Sceberras Trigona in various encoun- ters with Gadaffi in the 1970s and 1980s. Talking to MaltaToday, Graffitti member Chris Mizzi insisted he and his fellow activists were merely exercising their freedom of speech. ... Quote of the Week "With the evidence we have, we are in a position to say that every person involved, be it mastermind or accomplice, is under arrest or facing charges." Police Commissioner Angelo Gafa' one day after the arrest of three men in connection with Daphne Caruana Galizia's murder MaltaToday 10 years ago