Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1345126
7 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 FEBRUARY 2021 OPINION THE dramatic events last week that led to Vincent Muscat (Il-Koħħu), one of those accused with the murder of Daphne Caru- ana Galizia, admitting the charges made against him and being given a 15-year jail sentence have led to the indictment of what is probably Malta's most horren- dous criminal network. According to the Commissioner of Po- lice, now every person – from master- mind to executioners – involved in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder, has been apprehended. When the assassination took place, many started to conjure stories of for- eign involvement, speculating that this was the first bombing in Malta involving use of semtex and other such creative ru- mours. The real story was much different. Everything was organised and carried out locally by people for whom elimination of one human being was no different from the elimination of another human being – or so they thought. Vincent Muscat admitted his guilt in the Caruana Galizia murder after a plea bargain. For 'spilling the beans' Muscat was given a pardon for his involvement in another assassination – that of lawyer Carmel Chircop who in 2015 was shot in the Birkirkara garage complex where he normally garaged his car. The conditions of this pardon obliged Muscat to identify the persons who commissioned and ex- ecuted Chircop's murder; to give details of money paid and to indicate what hap- pened to the gun and the car used in the assassination. Three people have now been charged with the murder of lawyer Carmel Chir- cop. Two of the arraigned men are also accused of being involved in the Carua- na Galizia assassination, together with a third one. This lawyer's involvement with the criminal world is at this moment, a mat- ter of speculation. The Commissioner of Police refuses to divulge whether a €750,000 loan Chircop had given to More Supermarket – which was run by Ryan Schembri – was a matter of interest in the investigation. That plot must thicken some more, before everything becomes clearer. Malta has experienced 19 bomb attacks since 2010, with five people targeted in the last 11 months. Several of these cases are still unsolved, with many cases linked to a criminal network that thrives on die- sel smuggling, drug trafficking and usu- ry. Some six persons were murdered but public outrage was scarce – many con- sidered these bombs as criminals settling scores between them. As rumour has it, one might have even been a Police in- former. In all cases, the Police hardly did anything, of course. Car-bombing someone who falls out with the others in a criminal network is quite different from carrying out the as- sassination of a high-profile person such as Daphne Caruana Galizia. The score being settled was of a different type and the person who is accused of ordering the killing was not an established criminal 'boss'. It seems to me that those who accepted to carry out the Daphne Caruana Galizia job did not realise the importance of this difference. They seem to have expected the usual Police investigation leading no- where. It was nothing like that. In this case, public pressure for justice was intense. The FBI was asked to help and its input was vital. Now the whole sordid story seems to have been revealed, although I would not be surprised if there are still some unknown facts. What intrigues me is the assassins' fail- ure to realise the difference between the settling of scores between criminals, and murdering a widely followed blogger to "shut up her mouth", so to speak. There is a big cultural gap between the world of the criminal network involved and the world Caruana Galizia inhabit- ed. This was not the case of the other car bombs. The criminal network that thought this was just another 'job' was completely wrong. They failed to realise that their victim did not belong to their social milieu and do not seem to have expected the public outcry that the murder provoked. Why? Does their background and envi- ronment exclude awareness of the other 'Malta'? This issue deserves a thorough social and anthropological investigation. Criminality, after all, does not exist in some bubble cut off from the rest of so- ciety. Vaccination 'passports' The EU is working on the idea of intro- ducing certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID vaccination. This follows pressure from southern EU countries that depend heavily on tourism and who cannot afford to lose another summer holiday season. With the rollout of vaccines against COVID-19 now gathering pace, some governments, like those of Greece and Spain, are pushing for a quick adoption of an EU-wide certificate for those already inoculated so that people can travel again. Other countries, such as France and Germany, appear more reluctant, as offi- cials there say this would be discrimina- tory in the case of those who cannot or do not want to be vaccinated. Anti-vaccine sentiment is particularly strong in France where the government has pledged not to make them compul- sory. Vaccination "passports" – or other forms of COVID-19 status certificates – will enable people to present proof of vac- cination and so skip quarantine protocols when arriving in a another country. Some countries have already introduced such policies, with Iceland becoming the first European nation to issue vaccine cer- tificates. Greece did not wait for an EU decision and introduced a digital vaccination cer- tificate for those who have received two doses of the vaccine. In the UK, Boris Johnson sought to allay fears that certificates could marginalise those unable to receive the COVID-19 in- jection, saying a UK government review would be, "mindful of the many concerns surrounding exclusion, discrimination and privacy". There are still some decisions to be tak- en. Will the certificates be in digital form? Will they be accepted globally? At what stage in the two-step inoculation process should the certificates be issued? The EU is working on these issues with the International Air Transport Associ- ation, which is keen to revive air travel, and with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Health Organization. More important is the fact that there is no guidance yet from the WHO and EU agencies as to whether people who have received two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine can still carry the virus and in- fect others, even if no longer vulnerable themselves. Moreover, it is not clear how long peo- ple remained immune after having been infected and fought off the coronavirus. A criminal network indicted Michael Falzon micfal45@gmail.com Vincent Muscat (Il-Kohhu)