Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519042
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 APRIL 2024 6 INTERVIEW Robert Aquilina: 'Joseph Muscat has resigned himself to facing criminal justice' THE person who is convinced the most that Joseph Muscat will face criminal justice, is Joseph Muscat himself, former Repubblika president Robert Aquilina believes. Aquilina says he has received insider information "from people close to Mus- cat" that the former prime minister has resigned himself to facing criminal justice on the hospitals deal. But asked whether he feels he is jumping the gun when making such statements, Aquilina insists these declarations help embolden supporters to continue the fight for justice. "Before we forced him out of office in 2019, I had spoken about the fact that criminal justice must be done, and I re- member people looking at me with a sense of cautiousness. They did not believe it could be done. As time went by, more and more people started to believe that it could be done. They started to believe that if a prime minister did abuse his position, he should not be treated in a special man- ner," he tells me as we sit down for this interview. Aquilina last month announced he will no longer serve as Repubblika's presi- dent after occupying this role for three years. However, he says that he will con- tinue to contribute to the NGO's legal battles. Aquilina is a harsh critic of what he claims is inaction by the Police Commis- sioner and the Attorney General (AG) when dealing with allegations of serious crimes involving powerful people. When asked whether the authorities should be allowed the time and space to carry out these often-complex investigations, Aqui- lina is unfazed. He argues there is already proof that they did not act on evidence presented to them. He says in the Pilatus case both officials refused to act on the individuals singled out in the magisterial inquiry. "They instead sought to find excuses to pardon those involved," he adds. "The de- sign of the abuse is evident, and they are participating in it." I ask Aquilina whether there is some truth in the statement, made often by La- bour Party exponents, that Repubblika is simply a radical wing of the Nationalist Party given the close relationship most of its officials and supporters have with the Opposition. He refuses the label, arguing the govern- ment does anything to demonise individ- uals set on improving the country's rule of law. But he adds the NGO welcomes any individual who offers to help in their cause. "Without Jason Azzopardi's help, for example, we wouldn't have been able to fight the court battles we are fighting. I look at these kinds of people as a valuable resource, and I wish there were more of them," he says. On whether he harbours any political ambitions, Aquilina says that while he has no immediate plans, it would be impru- dent to rule it out completely, given he has always encouraged young people to get into politics. "No matter what civil society does, we always need a political solution," he says. After three years at the helm of rule of law NGO Repubblika, Robert Aquilina has stepped down. Here he discusses with KARL AZZOPARDI the quest for justice, Joseph Muscat, police inaction and accusations that Repubblika is just an extreme faction of the PN.