OUR LONG-STANDING JOKE –the Rule of Law in Malta
Every time I see or hear a few disoriented minds preaching their allegations that the Rule of Law in Malta has broken down over the last five years and to boot taking to the streets in normal PN ‘let’s have a good laugh and waste some time’ fashion, I cannot help but chuckle.
Let me set the scene for you. The year is 2007, that is eleven years ago. The Government of the Day is a Nationalist Party Government. The Prime Minister is Dr Lawrence Gonzi. The Minister Responsible for Justice (i.e. the Law Courts, Police, etc) is Dr Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici. The Police Commissioner is Mr John Rizzo. The Attorney General is Dr Silvio Camilleri.
A man is arrested on suspicion of drug-trafficking, in alleged possession of two packets of powdered heroin and is apparently apprehended by two Policemen.
Let us reel forward the years – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and finally we reach 2018 … AND THE CASE COMES UP IN COURT AFTER ELEVEN YEARS – YES, ELEVEN YEARS!
In 2007 Dr Silvio Camilleri was Attorney General. In 2010 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Law Courts and still is today. Would he kindly explain how such a case has been allowed to elapse a full ELEVEN years before seeing the light of day? Is this what Rule of Law means? Is this what Justice means?
Mind you, this is just one of a number of cases where arraigned accused have been left in total limbo for countless years, allowed to gather dust and cobwebs – particularly cases of alleged sexual abuse which finally came to nothing and saw the accused totally liberated.
Thankfully, over the last five years we have had a Government determined once and for all and is trying to bring this farcical (yet highly tragic) situation into 21st Century efficiency.
Just a small aside note about our Law Courts and “systems” of Justice; our judicial system has always been dominated by PN oriented lawyers in their vast majority – the sole preserve of this party, very much as if this were a God-inherited right because all others are of course incapable of understanding legal procedures and jargon and quoting Italian and Latin phrases. After all, such matters cannot be left in the hands of “workmen”!
Contemporary comedy street theatre in Malta – entertaining and amusing the masses; only a few comedians take part but the audience is widespread.
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Now, let us get to the heart of the matter. The hearing of the alleged drug-trafficking case has now commenced and brings into focus the Police and of course the Police Commissioner at the time – Mr John Rizzo.
So far, we have heard that:
While giving a description of the arrest of the alleged trafficker by one of the two Policemen involved, the official said that on being apprehended, the accused began to disperse of the evidence. The Judge asked the official how was it possible the accused could be allowed to do such a thing; the official acknowledged this error and said one learnt by one’s mistakes. Fair enough; nobody is perfect; we live, experience and learn.
The Judge asked whether any pictures of the evidence had been taken (yes, cameras had been invented by then)? The reply was that no pictures were taken and neither were pictures taken of the car and the car keys;
Then, the Police Inspector who had made the arraignment was asked whether he had visited the scene of the alleged crime; the answer was that no visit had been made, although it had been alleged that heroin powder had been sprinkled all over the place;
Court heard that neither the vehicle nor the car keys were being presented as evidence;
The Inspector also maintained that eleven years had elapsed and he did not have a clear memory of all that had actually happened; and who can blame him?
Eleven years is eleven years and the Judge had to ask each witness a number of times whether they could ascertain they were telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but …
Well, that was a piece of Police work eleven years ago … and now these disoriented minds have the front and the cheek to accuse a current breakdown of Law and Order!
Were there protests at the time? Were the Government and Minister, the Police Commissioner and the Attorney General called upon to resign? Were pictures of the Police Commissioner besmirched with rotten tomatoes?
I go back to my beginning; when I see all these current amateur theatrics and hear the drivel coming out of the mouths of people like Delia, Busuttil, Azzopardi and Fenech Adami, I gave a good chuckle and carry on watching my favourite comedy programmes on BBC Entertainment.
ALBERT JEROME FENECH
