Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1532501
11 EDITORIAL maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 19 FEBRUARY 2025 THE acquittal of Christian Borg, owner of the No Deposit Cars dealership, over perju- ry charges this week is a serious case of gross negligence by the police. The magistrate hearing the case could have never found against Borg because the single-most important piece of evidence – the verbatim transcript of Borg's testimony that was under scrutiny – was not presented in court by the prosecuting police officer. In the best scenario, this would be a case of gross incompetence that should lead to dis- ciplinary action against the police inspector who prosecuted; in the worst scenario, it would be a case of corruption that requires an investigation of the police conduct. Borg is no ordinary individual. Apart from having been involved in a dubious land transfer deal with Prime Minister Robert Abela and his wife Lydia Abela (at the time Abela was still a backbench MP), Borg is facing multiple criminal charges in court. The charges range from participation in a botched kidnapping in which he and his as- sociates allegedly threatened to torture the victim and rape his sister; to separate charg- es of VAT fraud and money laundering. It is pertinent to note a scathing judgment delivered by Mr Justice Toni Abela deliv- ered in October 2023 in a civil case institut- ed by Borg's No Deposit Cars against a cli- ent over a hire purchase contract. The judge said the commercial agreement lacked good faith, adding the company adopted "mis- leading commercial practices because it was using deceptive methods to cheat or- dinary consumers". Mr Justice Abela went on to argue that in civil law, bad faith is the equivalent of fraud, throwing out the com- pany's request to force their client to pay up money owed. We quote this civil judgment because it shows the type of shady person Christian Borg is. The perjury case was ostensibly the one in which the police should have had the least problematic route to secure a convic- tion. Instead, they botched it in such a way that has all the hallmarks of criminal intent written all over it. Within this context, we expect the police force to be forthcoming with an explana- tion as to why the crucial transcript was not produced as evidence. The transcript could have easily been obtained from the court registrar, requiring no extraordinary effort to source it. But alas, the prosecuting officer simply forgot to source it, or opted not to. We also expect the Home Affairs Minister to show concern and demand accountabili- ty from the police force. Indeed, we expect an independent investigation into the po- lice's suspect behaviour in this case. But we will not hold our breath. Indeed, if the government gets its way on the magisterial inquiry reform, any individ- ual motivated to ask for a magisterial in- quiry into how the police acted in the Borg perjury case would be forced to first file a police report. Any such enterprising indi- vidual would go to the police to ask them to investigate their own suspect behaviour. What a farce it would be. Christian Borg's acquittal because of a glaring omission by the police is one such example where the current magisterial in- quiry framework could work effectively to establish whether the suspicions raised are founded or not. Under the new regime being forced through by the government, requesting such an inquiry would be an obstacle race. Government is basically, shutting down one of the alternative investigative routes avail- able to ordinary citizens. Christian Borg's acquittal is another slap in the face of justice and the rule of law. It is another confirmation of the rot this ad- ministration has dragged itself in. And now it even wants to deny ordinary citizens the right to directly petition the law courts for a magisterial inquiry to be held. Christian Borg's acquittal: The hallmarks of criminal intent maltatoday MaltaToday, MediaToday Co. Ltd, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 MANAGING EDITOR: SAVIOUR BALZAN EXECUTIVE EDITOR: KURT SANSONE EDITOR: PAUL COCKS Tel: (356) 21 382741-3, 21 382745-6 Website: www.maltatoday.com.mt E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt searchers mostly concur that screen time does not predict well-being results and that a poor habit differs from a clin- ical addiction. Any drastic laws run the risk of becoming too unstable to be deemed essential, not only from a legal and constitution- al perspective but also from an empirical standpoint. A law that employs a uniform strate- gy and characterises children's social media use as "addiction" may prove to be ineffective. TikTok, for instance, is not a digital drug or comparable to cigarettes, despite occasional sensational claims to the con- trary. This does not imply that dig- ital platforms ought to escape accountability for numerous serious issues and for their role in addressing them. Instead, the aim should focus on safe- guarding minorities who might be more vulnerable to adverse mental health effects from dig- ital media compared to others while encouraging freedom of choice and user independence for every individual. Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master. Constant exposure to unrealistic images and standards on social media can cause anxiety, depression and low self-esteem in teens